Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

Nancy, that is a great Lhasa story. They really are not your average dog!

Rebecca, your present job sounds so frustrating right now I do hope that new thing works out.

As for me, I did get the scans scheduled for next week...except for the PET scan which my insurance is still denying. But I will start with CT and x-rays Monday, possible PET Tuesday if it's okayed, and then the rest on Friday. I also have to go to my dermatologist because I have developed a new and itchy mole right on the radiation line on my chest. If it isn't one thing it's another! Buggers! The onc office does think my ins. will come around on the PET scan because all the requirements are fulfilled, just that they need to go through all the hoops. I'm kind of glad I at least don't have to go anywhere today. And that office doesn't know how close they came to having the full wrath of the Bodacious Ta Ta Sisterhood unleashed upon them. :-) - Skye

Skye - I am so glad that you got something scheduled! I didn't want this to roll into next week still not taken care of. I hope the PET scan gets resolved soon too. Maybe you should take Kim some cookies when you go in next week.

Tina - you are cracking me up this week (LOL apply directly to the forehead).

Have a good weekend everyone.  

LOL Skye!  The Wrath of the Ta-Tas....sounds like a B movie...or is it a DD?

 Glad you got at least something scheduled!  That is a move in the correct direction.

Mel I am glad you had such a nice day you really deserve it.  It sounds like you have found a nice calm place, and that is good. 

Tina keep us posted on DH's job, we are all on pins and needles waiting to see what happens!

off to gymnastics

Skye, I am so pleased that you are able to move forward with some of the tests, though I know you will be uneasy til you get good results. Still, it's better to know, and the last results from your poor sore breastbone were ok. We will all worry for you, so you just relax.

I find the posts about parenting adult kids very interesting. I really went through a bad time when my kids were grown and gone. We had closed our business of many years at the same time, and I was going through menopause, so I felt like I cried for three years. I really missed them, and would still love to wave a magic wand and have them be 6, 8, and 10 again. But I do enjoy them as adults. They are through with school, except our son who is in law school, they are self supporting, and seem happy. But it's hard as they leave. I do love to be asked for help or advice. I have modeled my behavior after my mother in law, who will only give her opinion when asked, and who is very supportive, even though I am sure some of our dumber moves over the years appalled her.

Tina, I hope your dh's job hunt is resolved soon. How is he doing emotionally through all this?

Mel, you are sounding good. I love your Harrison stories.

Viddie, take care of your back, please.

Jan, my onc also says not to worry about lymphedema, so I am careful with that arm, but I don't think about it too much.

Have a good night all. Thanks again for the support re my husband. I have read a fair amt already about prostate cancer, and his psa is high enough to worry, I guess, but he doesn't have any symptoms. I am going to try to relax til we know more. I am thinking about how glad he is that I offered to come to the biopsy. He never offered to come to mine ... I have learned how to be a better support after what I went through, that's for sure.

Melia

So, we've got a big few weeks coming up...Joni's mtg. w/the onco., Skye's scans and Jan's surgery.  Jan, what exactly is the date?

No, Viddie, I didn't stop Tamoxifen before surgery.  Was never told it was necessary.

DH is getting excited, Melia, about the possibility of having a life again.  He flies down there Sunday and walks the ship, RC's "Nav-i-g-a  tor of the S e...as".  I'm writing that weird so it can't be googled.  Anyway, I viewed the ship online and it looks fabuloso.  Glad you are reading up on PC.  When you speak with the dr., it'll make so much more sense to you.

Mel, you're sounding very relaxed...good for you.  I re-read my posts and I couldn't find anywhere where I said you should take ativan.  Did I miss something?

Jan it would be my pleasure.

Hi Gals,

Wow Jan, your surgery is coming up fast! Thanks for thinking of us in having a designated DH contact person to keep us posted. Enquiring Ta ta's always want to know!



Mel, you needed that nice day, I think. Hooray that you got it!! I agree with all your song non-choices. Except I do kind of like Midnight at the Oasis, some of the lyrics are funny.



Tina, I do hope the Florida job is going to work out. Sounds like you and Paul are both warming (no Florida pun intended) to the idea. BTW, I'm just like Jac, I need comfy Lycra in my jeans too!



Joni, maybe we should plan a mass viewing of Officer and a Gentleman. That would be such a hoot.



Melia, you are also a class act, as are all my sisters here. I'm so honored to know every one of you. - Skye

Hello Ta Ta's,

Had a fabulous brunch with 3 of my girlfriends today....gabbed for almost 3 1/2 hours....then I went shopping to get a shower present for another girlfriend's daughter's wedding shower.  The shower is tomorrow, so it should be fun.

It's a beautiful day here today, almost like spring, as we have a big Chinook blowing thru....although...on Tuesday they are saying we are going to have a blizzard.....yikers...I've had enough of winter.

On the way out to my little town there were all these RCMP lining the Hwy 1A....a known Asian gang member was gunned down here about 10 days ago, and today was his funeral.....they are checking every car that goes by.  Kind of scary!!

Has anyone seen "The Bucket List".  I want to hear if it is any good before I go.  I also want to see "Atonement", but Dan says not with him, as it's a chick flick.

I had a good laugh at myself this week...I reread the last Harry Potter book, and it was like reading a new book....see chemo brain does have it's advantages!!  I barely remembered any of it.  I find myself in a room sometimes wondering what the heck I came in there for, when I get to another place in the house, I sometimes remember what I forgot...yikes..I'm losing it....Head On!!!

Hope everyone's having a great weekend.

Big hugs...Joni

Viddie, just re-read your post about Meri and how you said it was another example of how you provide support to your grown children.  I just wanted to say what great parents you are!  Your kids DESERVE that great support.  They are totally pro-active in seeking a self supporting life for themselves.  I will help my kids the same way.

My FIL (and MIL, until she passed 3 mos. before my dx) thinks I'm a major Scrooge, putting it mildly, because I put the brakes on my DH from funding him so he could fund his 45 year old enemployed daughter and her 3 kids and 2 grandkids...  I'm not Welfare.  Speaking of which, the DH's nephew heads to prison for 3 years on Jan. 29.  He's not a bad kid, just never had much motivation. 

Caya, your job sounds like a birthday...opening boxes!  I love shoes too...  I hope to have a really nice closet to myself in my next house.  I hate sharing w/the DH.  He makes it so messy.  Btw. my purses and shoes...  I need it.

Shleppers...good word for it.  Caya, if I even began to tell you the 1/2 of it...  for a solid 2 years prior to the MIL passing away, she was attempting to get a liver transplant down in Jacksonville, FL.  The orig. plan was to go down there, be evaluated and when they call you back, you check into the hotel for 3-4 weeks (as you need to be local) and you'll get called for surgery.  Well, she went down for the initial eval. and never left the hospital.  When she was finally told that she wouldn't get the organ unless she proved she was well enough to receive it, she finally got out of bed and went back to the hotel.  Within 2 weeks, she then got the organ.  Anyway, this 5 month stay that her grown daughter had at the hotel, to be her local liasion, put my FIL in financial ruin.  And she didn't want to take care of her, then 4 year old granddaughter (the mom...her 24 yr. old daughter was in jail for heroin/theft), so she put her in foster care.  Foster care gave her the boot after a month and my FIL arrived at my doorstep at 2 am unnaounced w/this child.  No plans to pick her up, nothing.  I hate to say it, but she was/is a wild child.  She's on lots of meds, etc. and has many, many issues and after 3 weeks I couldn't take it anymore.  She was fighting w/my kids.  My DH was at work all the time.  I was ready to crack.  Had they said just do this for a month or something, I probably could have handled it better.  But I really felt they were giving her to me.  They'd like nothing better than for us to have done that.  Problem is, her mom and grandmother (Paul's sister) are so untrustworthy, I'd be afraid of them saying we didn't take care of her properly or something.  They are just not people to be involved with at any level.  His sister held onto a shipping acct. # from the DH's work last year and used it six months later and sent $700 worth of personal stuff.  The FIL knew too.  I FLIPPED OUT ON THEM.  This was two weeks before my dx.  The DH could have been fired, I could have lost my insurance.  Anyway, they caused lots of stress and if I ever questioned my FIL about his excessive spending (because he was totally jeopardizing his and his wifes retirement, had she lived), he'd start railing at me.  I wasn't being nosy....this man was buying his daughter $100K trailer homes down in FL, which subsquently burned down and he hadn't insured it, he then bought a $40K RV, and then another home.  He is not a rich man.  Then he'd tell my DH how he couldn't make his bills, etc., my DH would feel guilty because he was very successful at the time and I'd be ripped.  I'll help those willing to help themselves, but not lost causes.  I don't want to be dragged down with them.  It caused so many screaming arguments in this house in the few years prior to my dx, I blame the stress of it partly.  The kids were affected, it was awful.  Life is so much more calm now that I drew the line in the sand and said no more involvement.  The DH gets bummed out at x-mas, etc., but I stick to my guns.  His dad said some really rotten stuff about me and my family and you can't just put the horse back into the barn...  OK.  Done.    I may delete this later so prying eyes can't ever see.

good morning campers of the ta ta's

Tina stick to your guns its your life in the end and you control it . There comes a point to what you can personally handle , some it takes more than others , but you know when your limit is passed . Pushing the envelope for me now had repercussions , cannot take as many risks as I used to . It may be age related , but then again its got alot to do with my dx . Life is too precious to let things go too far .

Caya .....ohhhh shoes you lucky lady. I get night sweats too and I get really cranky still . I pitty my dd's when i get mumbling and rant on the state of my house and the mess its in . I start throwing things like shoes and boots in the front hall when i trip over them . Wham .... thud there they go into the closet . A snowboard gets a little jag into the laundry room ......... a dog gets a shove outa the kitchen . And my dog is BIG , she freaked out this morning when the dishwasher started and headbutted me , lifted me up a little and sent me for a spin . Dh started laughing ..... darn dog ..... she is a baby .

Jan keep in touch about your surgery . You will do fine , you getting into your rockclimbing and working out will help you recover . I often get reminded when I look at how many surgeries I have had in the past year , plus chemo and rads how I managed . Being in womens hockey and skating did make a difference in how my body healed . I am back skating again , I go to the arena once a week at least and do an hour around the rink . It funny how it cme back to me , I was scared that i would fall down and not be able to get back up , but then again at public skating there a lots of people that fall down . I have always skated from a little girl , throwing them on my shoulder and hitting the ice whenever i could .

Joni : I have a special place in the mountains I go to all the time in my head , it is so special at the gate to the rockies where the hwy wind through Canmore and then to Banff . I have so many memories of that place . It was a visioning tool I used when I was in my chemo state . I would put on my headset and listen to my mountain sounds imagine myself there by a rushing creek on a sunny day soaking up the scenery . It helped so much in reducing my stress . Ohh I could so go for a soak in the hot springs , or a day on a snowy mountain sipping on a hot toddy . I must get out to Calgary just writing this makes me homesick . But I still love it here tooo my heart is torn between the lakes and streams here and the mountains in the west .

I had my mri , man I did not know they made so much noise , had to wear a pair or earplugs and a headset . I had prick in my vein , yuck ! I have a bruise on my arm . I am not in a spot to get the results back as they will be a confirmation of what I know is true . Chemo related damage to what I already have to my inner ears and a result of graves disease which I had and got treated a long time ago . My thyroid was nuts after my last pregnancy . I also have to get one on my spine in March to confirm that the leg pain I have is nerve related .............. so much for my body . The skating and walking help gets my joints going again . its just getting out of bed is tougher these days ....... also getting along in my years not as young as I used to be ha ha ........

I am off to sew today my youngest dd has a project to do a costume of medieval times . We bought a pattern for a kid of a long dress and she is going to display it , she had never sewn before so mum will be managing her sewing today .

Wish me luck .......

One last thing on my IL sitch...  the DH lays a major guilt trip on me every holiday, telling me I'm unforgiving, etc. for not welcoming the FIL here.  (You can't have the FIL for any length of time before he starts discussing his DD and GC.)  After all the nasty shit that's gone down, I am not comfortable with that guy in my house.  I'm sorry he'd like to see his grandchildren (my kids).  DH can take them to Boston in the summers, just as I did EVERY year for 8 years until I wised up.  The DH still cares about him and wants to forget it all, but the guy just totally crossed the line.  (Even worse, my SIL claims he put the moves on an almost/close to underage girl while his wife was awaiting transplant...which physically repulses me...he is 65, fat as could be.  Apparently, he also was using my DH's $ to call in his DD's friend, a 40 something year old women, to clean his house...but that was a ruse to get her there.  He then started discussing what he really would like to do.  BLECHHHHHHHHHH!!!  He doesn't know I know any of this.  God, I've gotta delete this.

OMG Tina!!

That is a real cause for major stress!!!

I am glad you are sticking to your guns. You do not need that kind of negativity in your life right now or ever. I am sorry you had to go through all that.

Thanks for your compliment. We all do the best we can and hope for the best. We are all great parents. I am very proud of both my kids, and I probably do not tell them that often enough.

Caya,

Since I started taking tamoxifen, I get night sweats like clockwork. Off with the blanket, on with the blanket and so on. Oy!!

Your shoe job sounds heavenly. It is great that Cassie wants to come home to visit. Does she get any extra shoe treats?

Sharon,

You are amazing. I would never attempt to skate- too chicken. I bet skating is a great therapy for your legs and joints, not to mention your soul. No wonder you are always in such good spirits. Your visioning tool is also a great idea.

Lynn,

How are you?

I hope everyone has a great day.

Love,

Viddie

Joni - I am rereading Harry Potter also, but in a different way. I'm reading them to my 6 year old. We read the first one last summer and are about halfway through the second book. Sometimes we'll read it every night, but sometimes we take a break for a couple of weeks to read other things. She loves the books and is able to keep up with the story fairly well (with some help). It's a very different experience to read them out loud. Normally I cannot reread books - but I enjoy reading them to her.

I haven't seen either movie that you mentioned. Normally if we get to the movies it's something animated and rated G.

Caya - your job sounds like so much fun. Your dinner with friends sounds fabulous. Night sweats - yes - I wear my PJs around the house in the evening, but just go to bed with a tank top so a I can toss the covers off and cool down quickly. I drives me crazy. I wonder if being off tamoxifen for the 10 days before surgery will make a difference?

Tina - good for you. I'm sure your right that your life is more calm without all of that craziness. I'm ALL for helping people - but they have to be willing to do some work on their end too. Being involved with that is just not worth the damage it can do to your family. Sharon summed it up perfectly in her post. Tina - your DH might say unforgiving, but I say it sounds like you are a wise mom who is protecting her family from harm.

Sharon - I love to skate. I visited some family in Ottawa a few years ago and skated on the canal. It was so much fun. Not much opportunity to skate here in NC, but I still have my old skates. The MRI noise - horrible. Good luck with the sewing.

Hello TaTa's,

Phew....Tina, you have your hands full with that family...yikers.  I grew up in a 3 bedroom house, and there were 8 kids.  My 4 siblings and me, and my 3 cousins.  My Dad's sister passed away when she was only 35 from a tumour on the brain, and back in those days there were no such things as nannies or housekeepers.  The 3 girls shared a room, the 5 boys shared a room, and my Mom and Dad had a room.  I loved going to the boys room, as they had a permanent circle of chalk for playing marbles in the carpet...hahaha.  There was always lots of noise and fun going on in the house, and in the winter time, my Dad would flood the backyard to make a skating rink....so I love skating too.  My Mom would rather us all be around the house than worrying about us.

Out here in Chestermere, the fire dept helps set up a bunch of different skating rinks....there are about 4 or 5 hockey rinks set up on the lake, and then a really nice one for figure skating, and they have a big fire pit to go sit around if you get cold. 

Owen's quest is to go where No Man has gone before!!  I love sitting out on my front porch and watching the stars.  We often get the Aurora Borealis here, which is like dancing colours in the sky.  Hope his room turns out Kool!!

Well I have some exciting news.  My niece Holly (my oldest sister's daughter) is getting married on August 29th, 2008.  She will be getting married in Nanaimo (Vancouver Island), and they are having the reception at the Nanaimo Golf and Country Club.  I'm going to make up the invitations, so if anyone has any good new ideas on invites....please let me know.

Sharon, I love Banff too.  I was on the ski patrol at Lake Louise for 10 years when I was younger, so the mountains or the thought of the mountains really brings a good feeling over me.  There's a sign when you drive into Radium BC...that says..."And the Mountains shall bring Peace to the People". 

Mary, that man sounded like a really good person, I really feel for the ones he left behind, such a loss.

Melia, have your DH in my prayers...everything will be fine.

Hope everyone is having a good day, I'm off to that wedding shower.

Big hugs...Joni