The Chemosabe March Cruise

Diana,  I am sorry to hear about your husband issues.  I pray that everything turns out good for you both!

I too have had a few issues this Christmas.  First, my daughter lost her baby.  We we're all sadden by this news but like all of this, it's in the Lords hands.  It just wasn't her time and I am sure we will be blessed later on with a health little one.

Second, I had some rib pain just before Christmas and being the stubborn Dutchwomen that I am, I waited till after Christmas to call.  At first they told me not to worry, that it was scar tissue building up but then after two hours they called and wanted me to get a chest x-ray.  Yup, scared the crap out of me then.  I found out the next day, no cancer, no bone mets..Yeah!!!  If I still have the pain when I see the Onc., they will do more testing but for now..it's clear.

Congrads everyone on all the clear test!  I know what a blessing it is to hear "clear".  I hope everyone has a great New Year!!..Rosebud

Diana,

 It's so nice to have you check in. I am so sorry to hear about your husband. That is just unbelievable. I know you will be a wonderful support to him after all you've been through. I'll pray for your family as the Lord brings you to mind.

Rosebud, I'm so sorry to hear your daughter lost a baby. You're right, it's all in the hands of the Lord and I'm sure He has something wonderful planned for her.

Also glad to hear that everyone's bone issues are not mets!! This is a no mets zone!!!

Wishing everyone many blessings for the new year.

Love you guys,

Miss S

Diana - you have my prayers....and everyone else too.  What a ride we had this year...I would never have made it through without all of you....I love you and send "HollyHugs" to each and every lovely woman out there....

I miss Jacque. 

HI Nancy and all..

yup, guess I avoided dealing with the BF question...he is acting o so nice these days...very sorry for his 'near miss' infidelity.  things are not the same between us...probably never will be...but...we go on...thanks for asking...

Love,

H

Rosebud,

So sorry to hear about the baby.  It just wasn't in the Lords plans I guess.  You will be blessed with a healthy grandbaby eventually.

Diana,

Hope everything turn out ok with the hubby issues.

We're still waiting to hear about the results of the hubbys blood tests.  The first counts came back high like suspected and they requested more blood work.  I was hoping to hear something before Christmas but now we'll have to wait until after Wednesday to find out anything wether or not it's cancer.  His anurism hasn't grown any so surgery is not in the future right now.  He will be rechecked in another 6 months again.'

I've been extremely busy these days and try not to come here and be reminded of the bc daily.  I just want to move on and still havn't had my port removed.  With the issues of the pain the Drs had suspected bone mets but all was clear.  Now I'm scheduled for a yearly mammo in Jan so will wait and hopefully get the all clear then finally get my port out.

I hope you are all moving on with your lives and moving past the unpleasantness of this past year.  I'm actually looking forward to midnight tonight to ring in a New Year of good luck, hopes and wishes.

Love you all,

Angel

Hi Terri,

Yes, the diet issue. . . I was watching GMA today and saw Robin Roberts interview Dr. Dean Ornish. She said that she wants to eat to prevent a BC recurrence and his new book is called The Spectrum Diet. From the brief interview, I gather that there are 5 groups to choose from, from best to worst. Of course, dairy and chicken and bacon are in the not-so-good groups! Rats! On tomorrow's show he'll be back to demo some recipes. Maybe I'll check the library and see if the book is available. I hate buying books.



In the meantime, my prayer is for the Lord to give us all a very happy and healthy New Year! Let's grow our hair really long. Like 3 inches.

Christine ;-)

hello dears....one year anniversary of initial diagnoses and all is well.  saw surgeon yesterday and while she said my breast tissue is very slow in healing from the radiation and that there is nothing much to do about my recurring seroma...all else looks good and the mammo from last week is clear!  saw med onc today and he will continue to see me every 12 weeks for the next 2 years and do tumor markers with each visit.  surgeon offered mammo's every 6 months but i delcined and will go back to the usual annual mammo.

feeling pretty good about all this and life in general.  will see plastic surgeon in 6 months to plan for bilateral reduction and lift.

i cherish each and every moment...even the crummy ones!  well, at least i TRY to!

sending love, prayers and hugs all around,

H

Hello my sisters!

Happy New Year!

Terri-thanks for the message on our caringbridge.  It is wonderful to receive so much support from all over the place!  Yes, the diet issue - I have not found anyone in the medical field who wants to advise me on this...they all say this is not a diet-based disease.  Now that we are looking at 2 different types of cancer in our household I am even more interested in finding some help.  I am reading Dr. Oz's book, and will look for the Dean Ornish one as well.  Thanks for mentioning it.  I don't get to see GMA very often, but when I have Robin looks as if she is doing pretty well.  I just read an article about her in People, and there was a photo of her with no hair and she looks incredibly beautiful, as all of us did with no hair.  Mine is about 2 inches long and VERY curly.  I think I will stick with the short hair - it's easy to take care of!

Angel-good to see you back.  How is hubby doing?  I think I have decided that it is easier to be the patient than the caregiver......

Holly-great to hear everything is going so well.  I had my 1 yr w/ surgeon, go this week to PS (need to talk about getting my nipple tattooed on at some point, although I really don't care if I have one or not...)onc and rad onc later in the month.  I pray my results are as good as yours, and I pray everyone else's are as well.

My husband is at home recuperating from his colon resection.  He's restless and I am a little concerned about the drainage from his incision.  I had drains so I did not have that problem.  Went to Dr yesterday and he said it looks OK, just to keep an eye on it.  He is not used to sitting around, so that frustrates him, and he has a very limited disability income, so that has him worried.  I am not worried about finances, but he worries even when we are both working, so I just have to let him work through it.  He has 20 staples and will have them removed Wednesday.  Thank God his path came back with no additional spread of the cancer, no penetration of the walls of the rectum, and his CEA is within normal range.  So he may not have to have any additional treatment.  His 82 year old Dad had hip replacement surgery Thursday and is doing well.  Unfortunately, his 47 year old cousin, who started 2 years ago with tongue cancer that is now everywhere is ready to go Home to his parents and grand baby.  He is in critical care and will not regain conciousness.  We pray that the Lord comes and takes his hand today.

Wishing all of you a happy, HEALTHY 2008.  As Holly says, let's cheish every moment, even the crummy ones!

Diana

www.caringbridge.org/visit/dianak

Wow, I didn't realize how long it has been since I have been here until I started reading all the posts I have missed.  I pray constantly for all of you.  I know that I would not be where I am without the wonderful support I have recieved here.  I am scheduled for surgery on January 24th to have my other expander replaced with a silicone implant.  That is the final step for me to be done with all this stuff.  Other than getting some nipples tattooed on, but that can happen whenever or never and I will be happy.  I had my one year anniversary from diagnosis and am getting ready to celebrate one year from bilateral mast.  Sometimes I look back and think it has been a very short time and other times I look back and thin how very long it has been.  There is life before cancer.  There is life during cancer.  There is life after cancer.  Thank God for all of it. 

Patti

Diana...good to hear from you and praise God for your husband's path report showing no spread.  You both are in my prayers.  Prayers also for your husband's cousin and father.  Wasn't it you that was thinking of opening a store for BC....have you done it?

Patti....good luck with your surgery....let us know how it goes.

Rosebud always good to hear from you.  How is your daughter doing?

We had snow for about 2 hours on Monday here in the Atlanta area.  It was such big news that the local news prempted the national news.  Was really funny to me after living in Minnesota for 11 years.

Love and prayers to all....hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  My husband and I are off to the mountains to celebrate our 30th anniversary.

Nancy

I am so sorry maxgirl.  May the Lord bless you and your family at this time of grief.  rosebud

Hi Gals,

maxie, I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your Mom. Who in this world is like a mother? My prayers and deepest sympathy during this sad time. I'm glad you have lots of siblings and I hope you're close with at least some of them.

I'm having trouble with my weight..... it's just terrible. I wish I could get hooked up to a giant Hoover that would vacuum out all my fat globules.

Patti, it's good to hear that you're finishing up with your boobs. I'm sure it will be lovely to be done with it! I still have a side of booblessness waiting to see what I plan to do. I tell you, I'm NOT enjoying wrestling with my fake boobie trying to keep it in place all the time. Grrr!

Nancy, too funny about the snow. We had a storm on Thursday here. Don't know how it took so long to get to us from Atlanta! I actually called off work and took a snow day!

Congrats on 30 years. I would have been married for 30 years by now, too, but the old man couldn't take a joke.   Oh well, I'll just have to work on having a 30 years of being alone anniversary.

Diana, I hope your husband is feeling better. 20 staples! Sounds like my mastectomy (I had a really big boob. Hee!). Congrats on the great news about no spread and all! Hope things continue to go well.

Keenie, did you get The Spectrum Diet yet? I could eat so much better if I had a personal chef! I love fruits and veggies, I just love everything else, too!  How are all the little rugrats?

playwriter, did you ever figure out a good diet for tripnegs? I have heard a lot about how difficult that diagnosis is, but have not studied much about it. I'm still learning about Her2+! Hope you're doing well!

Holly, it's great to hear you sounding so happy and positive! Here's to a great, cancer free 2008 for all of us!

I recently had an echocariogram, but have not been to my follow up with the doc, yet. The tech did say my heart was skipping a beat, which it has not done before, so I am thinking, "What now?"

My arm is also HUGE right now, so I'm in the middle of getting a referral to my lymphedema therapist to start working on that. I'm beginning to look like Popeye.

Work is going great and I feel pretty darn good.... some joint pain going on. I'm wondering if that was something caused by chemo. I will say I am pretty much my usual happy, nutty self. Sometimes I even forget about the last year for a while! Was that really me?

I miss you all terribly! You ladies made this whole trip bearable and I am so glad I know you. I hate it that we don't talk much anymore. You are all close to my heart and I hope we can stay in touch!

Love you all!

Miss S

max, so sorry about yr mom. glad u were able to be there with her.

things fine here. got new flooring last week, and still haven't put everything back where it belongs.

Well, I haven't been here in a while so I thought I would say hello.  So much has happened since I have been here.  My thoughts and prayers are with everyone!

I had my sixth and (hopefully) last surgery today.  I had my right expander removed and an implant put in.  I am sore and came home with two of those stupid drains but I have graduated!!  The breast cancer navigator at my hospital (she has come to see me before EVERY surgery) has brought a pillow for me every time.  It is usually just a small rectangular pillow but today it was heart shaped to signify finishing!  Life does go on and is never the same.  I will never be the same.  I like who I am now a whole lot more though.

Patti

Maxgirl-I am so sorry to hear about your Mom.  Thank God 6 of you were able to be with her - I'm sure that gave her peace.  May she rest happily in the arms of our Lord.

Nancy-Happy 30th!  Ours will be in May.  I hope you had a great celebration - we will go back to Cancun in the fall to celebrate ours.  I am still working out the details to open the store - my husband's cancer really sidetracked me.

Rosebud-I am going to the PS next month to see about my tattoo - maybe I'll borrow your idea and get a rosebud!

PMarsh-hope your surgery went well.  I agree 100% with your feelings about the last year - did all that really happen to ME??

MissS-I, too, am struggling with my weight.  I put on 15 lbs during chemo and can't take it off.  When the weather gets better my DH and I will start walking again - maybe that will help.  Get that arm taken care of!

Keenie-aren't little kids just the cutest things?  My 2 1/2 yr old granddaughter was here today, and she told me she needed some "butt cream" because her "pee-er" hurt.  So we put some desitin on it.  Later she was taking a bath and I was washing her.  When we did that part she sad "thanks, Nanny.  My pee-er isn't spicy anymore".  I guess spicy was the best description she could think of for how it felt!  I don't know about you girls but I haven't felt "spicy" for quite some time!

Terri-don't put everything back on your new floors - keep them open and dance, dance, dance with your beautiful family!  I tried to order your calendar but the email bounced back as a bad address?????

Dear hubby just got back out of the hospital today.  That drainage I was worried about DID turn into something.  He has his staples removed 1/16, and the incision started separating on the outside.  By Sunday 1/19 it was pulled apart 1/2" in some places.  I took him in to meet the Dr who poked around a little then told us he would have to have emergency surgery that day.  Seems the inner part of his incision tore open - split the whole thing open.  The outside was all that was holding it together, and that was about to give too.  So he was re-opened, re-paired and re-turned with an open wound.  There are "bridges" on it to hold it together, but it is about 3/4" deep.  It has been healing well, though.  Unfortunately he was one sick puppy all week - running fevers, nauseated and throwing up, achy body.  He had all of the symptoms of a flu but the Dr said it was surgery related.  Yesterday he was given his first real food and he threw up on oatmeal!  But he has kept ice cream down, and I got to bring him home today.  He is very weak and tired, and thoroughly frustrated about the whole ordeal.  To top it off yesterday his roommate's MRSA swab came back positive!  But he did not have an active infection, thank God.  That whole thing really freaked me out!

I am trying desparately to keep up at work - I do payroll taxes and w-2's and have 1/31 deadlines but it's really tough right now.  I don't recall ever being quite as stressed as I am right now - not even when I was going through my cancer.  But I know that this too shall pass.....just needed to vent a little~

Everyone take care and plan something special for Valentine's Day this year.  I am taking my husband to meet the oncologist that day to see if he needs chemo........it doesn't get much more romantic than that, does it????