Starting Chemo in JAN 2007

Tina - that just stinks. I'm shocked they would have the nerve to approach the new employer. I certainly hope this doesn't effect your move.

Caya - 12 pounds. That's impressive!

Rebecca - Your weekend sounds perfect. I am so glad you were able to get to the farm. 

Dinner last night was fabulous. We dressed up and went to a very nice restaurant, the food was great, wonderful service and the chocolate dessert was worth all of the calories in it and then some. The kids were asleep when we got home and we managed to find a movie we hadn't see on TV. Overall it was a very relaxing and enjoyable night.

I'm starting to feel like I have a bit more energy. Tuesday will be 4 weeks. I am so close to standing up straight. There's still swelling that annoys me. I also still have stiches - how long does it take before they dissolve?? 

Hi All,

Tina, I am so baffled by how vindictive people can be. Why can't they just live their own lives and leave your family alone?  I am not very litigious, but perhaps it is time to contact a lawyer.

Amera, just do what you can do. I think many of us are tapped out emotionally, plus you still get drained daily teaching and raising your own kids.

Jan, glad you are nearly upright. You certainly don't complain much, and I am sure it hurts!

Skye and Caya, I often think of how brave and stoic you both are, still doing herceptin. I am sure you can hardly wait til it's over. And Skye, I am glad that the spine issue isn't malignant, of course, but still am sorry you have to deal with it.

Rebecca, sounds like a heavenly weekend. Don't you love cocooning with just the five of you?

Mel, I hear you on the hair. Mine is at an akward length, but I just load it up with gels and tamers, and it looks ok after I fuss with it for a while. I was supposed to get a trim on Friday, but cancelled, knew I would freak out if she tried to cut much at all. I have a business event in a couple of weeks and will go in before that.

Our daughter and son in law are here for a few days, lots of fun to have them around. They are both so amiable and cheerful. He has family in town too so they are out tonight with that side, which gives us a quiet evening. Tomorrow is President's Day, and they and my husband are all off, but I have to work. Poor me.

We met with the radiologist on friday re the prostate cancer. Now he is conflicted about whether to do surgery or radioactive seeds. He needs to do more research so that he is comfortable with his choice. He has time, I guess, since the doctors don't have the sense of urgency that they did with me. I feel confident that he has two good choices and that he will be fine either way.

Stay warm and safe, my dear friends.

Melia

Hi Guys,

I was wondering what happened to ya, Rebecca.  Thx. for checking in.  I feel like a parent whose kid was late for curfew!    Sounds like you guys are having a great time.  You deserve it and I'm happy for ya's.  Jan, how was your date?  Caya, BIG congrats on your South Beach success.  I need to get on that again, myself.  I really haven't been eating a lot...but I must be stress eating because I'm up 3 lbs.

 Paul has his best buddy, Grey, over for a wrestling pay per view and sleepover.  Jaclyn just had a blast playing restaurant...we made a bunch of Mexican food and she made menu's', served drinks, food, apps.  It was funny.  So I just cleaned the mess and per usual, there is nada on TV.  Thank God for Court TV, Discovery TV, Medical Mysteries, etc.  I am jonesing for Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty.  Settling for Geraldo tonight.

OK...that's my report from the Midwest.  Speaking of which, Nancy, how are you faring?  We are getting a mega downpour right now.

Viddie, glad you are having fun!  Skye, good for you doing kickboxing tapes.  Mel, love the new pic.  I feel like I know you even more cause I can see you better! 

LOL!  My daugher just came up to me and was lingering by my PC for a few minutes.  I'm like OK...buh-bye.  3 minutes later I finally realize she's got my wig on!  Funnnnny!  It's the same exact shade as her hair so it didn't really stand out to me.  She's howling now.

Hi TaTa's,

Rebecca, sounds like you had the perfect weekend with your family!  NJ has had no snow?  In Western Mass., we haven't seen the ground since the beginning of December, ugh!  It's funny that we are not too much further north than you, but we sure do have plenty of snow this year. 

Tina, how awful for you and your family.  Can't they just 'get a life' and leave you alone?  What are they gaining from all this...I just don't get it.

Jan, glad to hear you are feeling better and that you can almost stand up straight.  I was lucky and able to stand up straight almost immediatly after my surgery.  Also, I didn't have any stitches at all. My PS used the durabond glue stuff (don't know the name).  It stayed on for about 3 weeks then slowly fell off.  Do you have stitches on all your incisions?  

We dressed up and went to a fancy restaurant for dinner last night.  It was so much more enjoyable than it would have been on Valentine's day.  This restaurant really takes their time, it took us 2.5 hours to get through our entire meal, it was glorious!  Ally slept over a friends house, so we had the house to ourselves and went in the hot tub! It was a lovely evening. 

Melia, that's good news that the docs aren't feeling the urgency to get Steve's treatment going. 

Viddie, glad you are having fun! Thanks for checking in.

My oldest daughter Shelley bought a new car. Well, a used car and she's picking it up today. She is soooo excited!  She's getting the 'cure breast cancer' plates like I have.  

Amera, hugs for you. I agree with everyone else, do what you think is best and speak up about it.

I'm so excited to see 6 of us with the flight reservations! woo hoo!

It's nice to have the day off of work, I think I'll lay down on the couch and watch at movie.

love and hugs,

Lynn

Hi TaTa's,

Rebecca, sounds like you had the perfect weekend with your family!  NJ has had no snow?  In Western Mass., we haven't seen the ground since the beginning of December, ugh!  It's funny that we are not too much further north than you, but we sure do have plenty of snow this year. 

Tina, how awful for you and your family.  Can't they just 'get a life' and leave you alone?  What are they gaining from all this...I just don't get it.

Jan, glad to hear you are feeling better and that you can almost stand up straight.  I was lucky and able to stand up straight almost immediatly after my surgery.  Also, I didn't have any stitches at all. My PS used the durabond glue stuff (don't know the name).  It stayed on for about 3 weeks then slowly fell off.  Do you have stitches on all your incisions?  

We dressed up and went to a fancy restaurant for dinner last night.  It was so much more enjoyable than it would have been on Valentine's day.  This restaurant really takes their time, it took us 2.5 hours to get through our entire meal, it was glorious!  Ally slept over a friends house, so we had the house to ourselves and went in the hot tub! It was a lovely evening. 

Melia, that's good news that the docs aren't feeling the urgency to get Steve's treatment going. 

Viddie, glad you are having fun! Thanks for checking in.

My oldest daughter Shelley bought a new car. Well, a used car and she's picking it up today. She is soooo excited!  She's getting the 'cure breast cancer' plates like I have.  

Amera, hugs for you. I agree with everyone else, do what you think is best and speak up about it.

I'm so excited to see 6 of us with the flight reservations! woo hoo!

It's nice to have the day off of work, I think I'll lay down on the couch and watch at movie.

love and hugs,

Lynn

Tina, I think you definitely need to do something legally, if not a lawsuit, then at least a letter from your lawyer or a protective order. 

Caya, I can't believe your willpower.  12 pounds is great. 

Melia, thinking of you and your DH, it must be hard to wait.

Rebecca, you crack me up, sounds like a wonderful weekend.

Well we met girlfriend of DS#2 - very nice, goes to church every week and gets her friends to go too, however she has two piercings - diamond studs just left of her eye on her cheek.  I am pretty conservative when it comes to those things but it looks pretty good on her.  It is the exact opposite of my conservative son.

Hugs

Hi Ladies,

I didn't know they used glue to close surgeries now. I learn so much from this group.

Jan, I admire your haircut more every time I see your avatar. I think I need some highlights or something.

And the kickboxing tape is really more of a powerwalk with kickboxing moves thrown in. I just like to say it's kickboxing to make myself sound tough. :-) You can see it at walkathome.com which is Leslie Sansone's web site.

Tina thinking of you and hoping you are finding your way through this.

Back in the deep freeze - Skye

Hello, BFFs!

I'm spending my time trying to stay warm. Last year I wanted Spring because it meant the end of chemo. This year I'm aware enough to just want Spring for the warmth! I'm so tired of being flippin' cold!!!

Skye, that's funny you mentioned Leslie Sansone. A coworker was just recommending her on Friday. I'll have to check it out.

Tine, I think I'm getting on board the legal boat with the others. It seems that there is a line that has been crossed here.  BTW, your daughter and the wig just made me laugh! How funny.

Melia, blessings this week as your husband considers his options and meets with the doctor. It's a difficult situation. Even having every confidence that the outcome will be great, it's the big "C". And it's your lover, your love.

Jan, your evening out sounds lovely. And Lynn, you stopped your story after you got to the hot tub. Maybe the good stuff happened then!

I went on Saturday and had my hair all cut off. I just couldn't stand the in-between state I was floating in. It's growing but so slowly, ugh. It was bad. So I'm super short again. Just past that post-military stage of growing in. I'm very comfortable. Well, except for the arctic wind blowing in from the north ruffling my hair and whistling in my ears. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I have some fun things planned this Spring.  Chief among them is the graduation of a niece from nursing school. She was a troubled child, on meth, baby out-of-wedlock. She's doing great now. Anyway, I don't want to miss anything this Spring but I am looking so forward to LV. The disabled son of a friend cautioned me "Watch it Cindy, NO gambling!" I assured him that gambling really wasn't high on the agenda. 

Amera, YOU know what you can face. I've had the occasion on two admissions here at work since my diagnosis to have another nurse do the work. I couldn't work with women experiencing advanced breast cancer. It hit way too close to home. Listen to your heart, consult with those who know you. Then just go live your life.It's time.

I'm gonna go find something warm to wear over my pjs. Yep, it's just 8 o'clock here but I've already soaked in a hot tub, slathered on lotion and gotten ready for bed. Now I'm going to go vegetate for awhile.

hugs to all!

Cindy 

Hello Ta Tas,

Julie F - We are ladies who did chemo last year, starting in Jan. 2007- you are more than welcome to post here, but you would probably like to joint the "Jan. 2008, Ain't it Great" thread - those ladies are going through chemo now.  It's nice because everyone is going through alot of the same issues (side effects, hair loss, weight gain/loss etc.) at the same time, and you can get good advice and tips.  and DH stands for Dear Husband.

Rebecca - sounds like a great weekend with the DH and the kinderlach. You are so descriptive, I can just imagine them all tearing down the hills on their sleds. 

Jan - glad you had a nice night out, and that you are recovering nicely.  Don't worry about those stitches, they will be gone before you know it.

Lynn - Did Shelley get her car? - very exciting for her.  How old is she?

Melia - It really is a long road when you're on Herceptin, basically an extra year of treatment.  On the one hand, it is a constant reminder that you are being treated for BC, on the other hand I feel like I am being very proactive and hopefully the cancer cells are being obliterated by the Herceptin.  I know it will be a very emotional day when I go for my last infusion on May 8th.

Mary - sounds like the new girlfriend is nice.  I wouldn't worry about the piercings - when Cassie was 15 she went and pierced her tongue (behind our backs, obviously without our consent) - we grounded her for about a month, and the first few days she had no access to the outside world - no phone, no computer, no TV - just allowed out of her room for meals.  She just was going through a rebellious stage and took it out after about a year. 

Cindy - I bet your hair looks great.  I still have not had one haircut, and no dye jobs yet either.  My friends all tell me I look great, and I really want to hold out until I have more hair to style, but I am weakening.  I may just put a semi-permanent rinse in it.  It just is taking so long to grow, which for me is not the norm - in the olden days, before BC - my hair used to grow so quickly.  I know the Herceptin is probably the culprit, but it is frustrating.

Not too much doing here.  Today in Ontario was Family Day, a new holiday for us, so things were pretty quiet.  The DH is going to Vegas on Wednesday for 4 days, he's going to try to get over to Harrah's to look over the rooms. 

I have been so tired since my Herceptin infusion last Thursday, I have had no energy to go on the treadmill.  I will try tomorrow, even if it's only for 15 minutes.

xoxo Caya

Hi,

Wanted you to know that I am still kicking. Very painful, but still kicking. The clean up is extreme! Today I spent all say stripping wallpaper,since they cut up my walls, chances of finding the same paper was zero to zero. Jeff and I have planned out all the changes we are going to make. The first thing we did after bleaching the devil out of everything was install a flood guard on that drain! We got the bathroom and laundry room tile up and now everything is a clean slate. We are back in our bed except there is nothing but a concrete floor that is mighty cold on the footsies in the morning. We stopped at Home Depot last evening to check out carpet, tile, all the stuff. I just plain got depressed. I am so tired and sore, I can't even begin to think about what I want and how to decorate. My arm despite my compression sleeve is swollen, and hurts. But what can I do, I have to sanitize this house. I'm sad that my kitchen remodel had to come to a screeching halt!

Tina, sorry you have to deal with this. It sure would make me very untrusting of anyone I had contact with. No one should have to contend with such BS!

Kelly my DD in Arizona made me a scrapbook of our trip for my birthday. It touched me in a way I can't describe. I sat and looked at it with Jeff and just cried! Happy tears!

I am very very tired and sore so I am going to bed. I read the posts pretty much everyday, so know I'm thinking of you all! (hugs!)

Just a quick fly-by this AM:

I just wanted to share with y'all that if I had nipples, this morning they'd be frozen at attention to the point of permafrost I think. Yeeeoooowwwww! It's frighteningly cold out. Minus 7. My little neuropathy fingers are hurting.

SPRING!!!!!!!!! C'MON!!!!!!!!! I'm so ready.

* 

   *

        *

Okay, that's it. Just my morning update.

Have a great day, gang.

Cindy - still checking to see if those nipples aren't frozen. The cold is causing some phantom sensations. 

Hello all,

Well it is another beautiful day here today...we've had a Chinook now for almost a week.  Today it is suppose to get as high as 11 or 12 C....that is about 50-55 F.  All the snow is melting.

I had a rather traumatic event happen yesterday.  I always take Thor for a walk along the irrigation canal, so after my rads yesterday, we drove over to where we go.  The RCMP had it all blocked off, as I guess on Monday some ATVer's found a body.   Gee pers, kind of scary.

Anyways, I'm off for my #4 Rads out of 10.  Then right after, I have my first acupuncture.  I'm a bit scared, so I'm taking Thor with me...haha..we're both a pair of chickens.

Feeling better already, so I think it's working.

Rebecca, I loved your pics!!  Hope that Big "OH" is feeling better soon.  I'm glad you found a gym that your girls enjoy.

That meteorite flew over Alberta and parts of BC before crashing in Washington state yesterday.  I never saw it, but I guess there were lots of calls to 911.

Hugs to all...Joni

Hi, I made it to a computer to check in, but I don't think I'll ever catch up with all the messages that have piled up. My trip is going just great. We had a little rain coming down 101 today, but that isn't too bad when you compare it to the winter weather other places. I'll have access to a computer for the next few days so I'll try to check in again.

And Joni, totally weird about that body.  E gads.  Be careful.  We live in a very "serene" area...just up the street from every retailer and chain restaurant known to man, but, here, it's quiet...  a big, huge lake up the street.  They have found 3 female bodies there just since I've lived there.  All prostitutues.  What freaks me out is they had to drive past my 'hood to drop those bodies off.  You'd NEVER believe it if you saw what it looked like around here.  (You will soon...I'm gonna email you guys my real estate link so you can see my house...if you're interested. 

Hi Ta Tas,

 Mary- Sorry about your son  - that sounds awful.  Please let us know how he's doing.

Rebecca - and how is your little guy - is the Owenmeister feeling better today?  And your new gym sounds fabulous- you see, things happen for a reason, and even though it was aggravating at first, the whole situation has turned out for the better for all of you.

Nancy - Thanks for letting us know that you are "still kicking".  It is a big job I know, and very frustrating - I hope it will all be over soon.  Can you take a hot soak in your bathtub yet?  That would be nice.

Cindy - lol about the phantom nipples - OY!!

Joni - I hope that chinook blows over here soon - it has been very cold - like -20C - although I think by the weekend we should go above zero c- that's 32F for those south of the 49th parallel.  And I am so glad to hear you are feeling better, the zaps must be working. 

Skye - you will love the manicure and pedicure - I have been doing them regularly for years.  We can look for sandals for you on our trip, the Fashion Mall is very close to our hotel. I think we should all plan an afternoon or evening there.  California Pizza Kitchen is a wonderful casual restaurant in the mall where we could have a lunch or dinner.

Tina - I hope your house sells soon.  It is a pain to have to keep it in perfectly neat and clutter free condition at all times, especially with the kiddos. 

Debbie/Viddie - thanks for checking in and letting us know you are having a good time. 

The DH went to Vegas yesterday, coming home Sunday night.  I did not feel great yesterday, very nauseous and tired, so I slept alot and basically lolled around the house all day.  So of course today I could not sleep that much and have been up since 5:30 a.m. - OY!  Cassie is off for reading week so this afternoon we have plans to go to Yorkdale, that's a huge shopping mall here in Toronto, I hope I make it.

Last night she had some friends over and as I was going to bed, one of them asked if she could speak to me privately.  Her mother was diagnosed last year with DCIS, but decided to have a mastectomy and reconstruction, no chemo.  Well now apparently they've found a small tumour in the other boob, so I guess that one is coming off too and now they are going to do chemo.  This girl wanted my advice on what she could do for her mother, she feels guilty being away at school etc.  I told her not to feel guilty, her mother will be fine, and her mother would not want her to feel guilty.  Just call her alot, get her Mom some soda crackers and some bland veggie soups ready, and to come in on the weekends when she can to visit and help out.

This girl had tears in her eyes, she was scared.  It brought back a flood of emotions for me, realizing how far my family and I have come in this whole crappy adventure. I also told her to have her mother call me anytime, I would be happy to give her info on wigs, little cotton caps etc.  The mother did speak to me last year when I was first diagnosed, and then later when she was.

Hope everyone has a great day.