For those starting chemo in June

Well everything's going smoothly the last two days. I slept for 3 hours after the Herceptin yesterday. Rads was quick this morning and I am back at home now since Mayo is closed until Monday. Some of the people at the Inn are staying there. One lady was from Tulsa! Well, my youngest is here and my oldest should be on his way. Later. Janie

Well Merry X-mas eve girls, Sounds like everyone is going to have a wonderful X-mas with family. PJ, good luck on the hockey game. I remember all the X-mas eves my husband and I were up all night putting doll beds together and trikes and toys, those are the best memories.I have X-mas with my family today at my sisters an hour away and my kids and grandkids here tomorrow. My youngest was to work X-mas eve and day but another Pharm. had a wreck and missed work two days so Stef filled in working double shifts so other Pharm. said he would work X-mas eve and day for her but... tickets to come home are $1500.00 so shes staying in Phx. She has always come home a few days so this will be her first X-mas away. Well got most of my food ready but have to shower and pick up. Got to work tonight and come home at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Just got home from work so lots to do. X-mas hugs, Mary

Merry Christmas girls, enjoying some calm, Quiet early morning hours and cooking. Just home from work, Left early. Holly, Jolly Hugs, Mary

Merry Christmas! The presents are opened, the cousins are gone and the Legos are strewn everywhere. Stay warm and be blessed. Paula

Hey ladies,

Well back to the old drawing board tomorrow. The RADS break is over. I hope all is well with everyone. Mary, you put me to shame. I just bought a couple of Christmas presents (for this year) today, because I knew they wouldn't be getting them for a couple of days anyway. I am the Queen of Procrastination.

Warm Fuzzies,

Janie

Janie, very cool on having fewer rads. Sorry to hear you're already getting red. What are you using on it?

Back to the real world today (actually, started yesterday as I had to come in to work since someone was sick). Nathan's coming up and we're going to lunch and he's gonna hang out at the office with me for a few hours. Then I'm going to spend my gift card!

Take care!

Well, my back's been hurting for a week or so. Onc's nurse says (and I of course fervently hope) that it's probably just pulled muscle or something. She says they can do some labs to check for some elevated something that would tell them if it might have spread to my bones. I'm holding off on that. tho. I've got to get blood tests Jan. 18 anyway, so I'll wait til then. Hopefully the pain'll be long gone.

Hope you all are well and warm. (It's actually supposed to get back up to the 70s in a couple days)

Hi girls, Didn't have to work lastnight but gotta go in this a.m. for a while. You know P.J. and Janie I have a lot more aches and pains since treatment ended. I now have some numbness in hands but still think it might be carpral tun. Wear wrist brace and it helps but take it off a lot as not easy working in kitchen with it. My hip pain is better but it still comes and goes. The bottom of my feet hurt when I first get up and my bones just all hurt when I get up in the a.m. or if I sit too long. I feel 100 years old. My onc. said it will take about a year to get rid of it all and feel normal again. I am still alive so I will muddle through. I am not sorry I did treatment. OOPS, better get to work for a while. Got 2 grandsons this wk. their mom has to work and no school. They just go to work with me and stay here as hubby sleeps off and on in daytime. He musta worked over this a.m. hes not home yet. Hugs, Mary

Janie, well, that's kind of cool to have an "extended" Christmas. Hope you have a good time with your son.

Mary, have fun with those grandkids. I'm sure nathan's ready for school to start again. it's pretty dull at our house. (especially with me being at work )

My back pain seems to be migrating, so I'm even more confident it's just a pulled something.

Hi Girls, Janie Maryp is right, Most of the time the lymphedema is lasting. Thats the way my surg. explained it to me before hand in case I got it.Glad all is well with you girls. Don't throw away the meds. you might need them.Don't have to work today as a daughter is down staying with my boss and my dad is in the hosp. with kidney failure so I stayed at hosp. until late lastnight and am going back up early this a.m. He is in Springfield Hosp. He isn't good and its a wait and see if kidneys start to function better. His prostate is too enlarged and has been and his bladder is now 4 times its size so he will have an abdominal cath. for the rest of his life.They have to do another biop. as needle biop. only test prostate in one area and he could have cancer in other parts of prostate. Its a mess and Drs.ignorance have gotten us here. Janie, you have a good time having X-Mas again and PJ, take care. Hope Renee is doing well. Hugs Mary

It is quiet here. Mom and Dad left Tuesday. Oldest son at a friends for 2 days for fishing, youngest back at his apartment, just Texas and his girlfriend here. I had to share my computer and they always mess it up on me- well not really, they change enough to confuse me!! Not easy to do! We had an awesome Christmas. I won lots of Bingo. Played tons of card games! Ate lots.
Going for rads #22 today. Just pink and slathering aquaphor 2-4 times a day.
Mary- My feet feel tingly too,especially in the morning. Fingers are a bit better,but some tactile sense is not back yet.
Janie- hang in there. Ask about other lotions-they gave me lists of things to use. I also use "Udderly Smooth" when I have my better clothes on since aquaphor is quite greasy.
Paula-aahhh warm weather! It was VERRRRYY cold here, but we have a warm streak coming up- should be in the 30's.
Renee

Hi All,

Mary, Good to hear your Dad is doing somewhat better. Had my 10th rads today. My hand was swollen again and I couldn't get the sleeve over it. I can see the compression chambers back in my future. My last set of company is going back tomorrow and I will be back home for the weekend.

Have a Happy New Year Ladies.

Warm Fuzzies and a Year Full of Hugs,

Janie

Hey; Happy New Years Eve girls, left work early today, Hubby and I are going to an A.A. potluck. I never drank much he drank enough for the both of us but has been in A.A. for 6 years now. Thank God for that cause I would deal with this on my own as I dealt with everything in years before soberity but it woulld of been hard to deal with his drinking and B.C. I will admit that his drinking made me a very strong and independent person and thats been kinda good. I was sheltered as a kid and very insecure.Not now, 30+ years later. Gee he is a big kid, I bought my hubby crome for the Harley for X-mas and he put it on today as its in the low 60's and he is outside reving it up and the old crone neighbor next door will be calling to say its too noisy. There are maybe three Harleys on our block. Our neighbor is the old spenster(Gay) and her yard is perfect and cleaner than the inside of my house( no kids or anything to do with herself but clean and gossip). She is better than everyone else(like who cares) and worries about everything everyone on the block is doing because she is the only one that does anything right and moral. I wish so much I could be only half as good and moral as her. Well I am going for a ride so later girls, confetti hugs, Mary

Hi girls, Janie my bottom teeth have all crumbled and I have to get something done with them but just haven't yet and they are getting bad. I am affraid I will have to get them pulled. yes another gift from chemo. Hey I can't believe I spelled chrome-crome. Yet another gift from chemo. I do sh*t like that all the time. I read in Dr. Susan Loves book that the chemo brain doesn't really go away all together. Oh well, I am gaining weight, Can't stand up straight or move my legs until I walk like Frankinstien for 5 mins.after setting for 10 mins. or more. Why should I worry about my brains, or the lack of? I have to give people clues to what I am trying to say like, The red head with the wort that has a gimp and has lived next to me for 50 years, her cats name is Sam, mothers name Pat, had 4 dogs and 6 cars in the last 15 years I know her Lic.# and phone no.but damn if I remember her freeking name.. I can tell you everything about a person I have known all my life except their name. I can get ready to write a note and can't spell a word I have spelled all my life. My name is easy but I am going to have to change my last name to Doe cause its a matter of time till I forget it. Well have a Happy New Year Girls,I am going back to the pot luck later. My hubby wanted to go to another meeting in town then back to the pot luck. Lets hope this year is better than last, We are still here and we are done or about done with treatment so 05 has to be better.I am going to work out more this year(now thats if I can get myself to do it. I get so tired of fighting with myself over that so I may just say heck with it,we'll see)I do need to shed the 9 extra pounds I am packing but here again lets be realistic, I am enjoying eating and fighting the hunger pains, well I am not a fighter, I am passive so that may be a problem and i can't deal with that now so lets just put that on the shelf for now. Eating healthy, well I am eating sweets and thats not me but then nothing about me is me anymore so I guess I better go with this person I have become and not make waves ya know? I will eat fish thats healthy and Mc Donalds makes a good fish sandwhich. Long Johns is pretty good too. I like salads and lots of dressing but not the low fat crap but hey the lettuce is healthy, right? O.K. Yea, excercise more (well any exercise at all) would be a good New Years promise but then I have to go to the gym and actually do the exercise and thats pretty stressful to my body and it frankly makes me tired and I don't see that happening in the near future. Well I think I will spend more money on myself this year and walking the Mall is exercise so there I have something to build on. Waving the credit card at the clerk is good for the upper arm wave flab. Yea, this will be a pretty healthy year I think, as long as I don't have to actually do anything. The new, old Mary

Oh wow, San Fran, what a wonderful way to spend some winter time. I hope you have the time of your life and enjoy the ocean and beautiful scenery.I plan to get there some day I hope. We have colder than predicted temps. What a shock! It has rained and been foggy all day. I bought a new vacume and its in the box in the dinning room. Unlike my hubby who when he gets a new power tool we have to use it all day even if we hadn't decided to take out a few walls or power wash the paint off the house and act like we are too stupid to know the power would take just about anything off or screw in screws to make sure the old nails hold. My vacume will be in the box in the middle of the dinning room until I decide the carpet is dirty enough to sweep. When I trip over the dust bunnies I will sweep. Can't see taking it out of the box cause I would have to use it as it would be convenient. Right now I don't have the time to get it all out and read the instructions and all that crap. It may be different than any other sweeper too so maybe I should pick a day when I can read all the instructions. Maybe I will tell my hubby my chemo brain is not good and I don't know how to put it together. I just forgot. You girls stay warm and safe, Good luck this New Year girls, Hugs Mary