Jan 2008--Ain't it Great?

Morning Gems,

Maz, my oh my you we're up late last night, I was signing off when I saw your late night post.  I'm sorry to hear that your having a really tough time getting over the hump on your last txt., you have been through a double whammy emotionally as well as adding a txt on top of it.  With the cumulative effects of these darn drugs its hard to believe that they are making us "healthy/strong women".  Try to keep your chin up, as we've heard time and time again, "this too shall pass".  It's good that you let us know how your feeling, and although we're not able to give hugs in person, sometimes just getting a little feedback will help out.

D1, assuming that dinner out was great ... I'd have change places as we hit the Old Spaghetti Factory last night, I'm not that hyped about pasta ... but we did have a big group and a little b-day celebration for the ds. 

I liked your take on what you we're feeling as you have finished up your "txt" plan, and can now hopefully get you le under control and say adios to having bc on the front bunner 24/7.

Norma, I still cannot believe that you and D1 are already finished with your txts, hopefully your on the upswing with the emotional rollercoaster, time to celebrate what you've been through and look forward to what the future brings.  Good luck to the ds at his soccer tourney, been there done that for about 10 years with both the dd and ds.  Hope the weather is soccer friendly!

Jules Rules, I love it!!!  Its been a great week of recognition for you, and what a special walk that will be, as I mentioned to Kimberly, better pack a hanky!

In regards to the OOPH, I am definitely going with the LAVH procedure.  I guess they can remove the ovaries and tubes in about 15 min., and if I choose to do the uterus as well its about a 2 hr surgery and they take it out in pieces, (sounds lovely).  The recovery time is about doubled to 4 to 6 weeks with the full meal deal!

Tina, I believe you asked about having the Ooph to alleviate the need for Tamo or AI's.  My onc said that it would still be of "slight" benefit to take either.  I would love to hear if anybody else has discussed the use of Tamo or AI after a ooph.  I certainly would prefer to not take more darn drugs, but I have also said from the get-go that I don't want to do this experience again.  Never was a good gambler!!!!

So we have another birthday in the house this weekend ... sounds like your starting your weekend off to a good start, doing something that you enjoy doing ... here's to a great Mom's day, and a very Happy Birthday.  (Yikes, just realized that Sunday is the 11^th, its my brother's b-day as well). 

Kimberly, so I'm assuming your getting ready to lace up your "rippers".  Enjoy your experience at the walk this morning, I'm sure you will be beaming like the bright gem you are!

Hey gotta like surfing the net for travel destinations and not looking at bc info.  Life is getting better by the day ... noted your trip to Ashland, my mil (ex) just got back from Ashland, she and a gf go down atleast once a year to take in the Shakes plays.  I have never stayed in Ashland, just used their great city to make a potty stop on my way to Redding!!!  Have you ever been out towards Klamath Falls, we golfed and stayed out at the Running Y a few years back, pretty cool place in the middle of no where!!!   I will have to say yes I am jealous of your impending trips (but yes I do look forward to hearing about your fun), looks like we'll be home bodies for most the summer due to the rad schedule.  Time to do a lot of boating right out in the bay within walking distance of our house this summer.

Thanks for checking in on our other "Carol's", was happy to hear that all is well with them.

Peg, my goodness gal, was sorry to hear of your added stress with your son.  I will continue to send positive vibes for his safety.  You are more than strong my friend! 

Therese, never quite thought of "fluffing" the girls, maybe I should give my little gal a bit of a shake to fluff her as well!!!!  Sounds like your on the mend, and going strong with your kids activities.  Your ds would get along great in our house, its almost 24/7 sports on the boob tube.  But I don't know about those Rangers!!!  Hope he had a great outing at the ballpark.

Paula, cracked up thinking of your perky nip at the rad center ... its funny to me how before this journey started I would not ever be comfortable being on display ... and now its like "no biggy" to just whip off my shirt (well atleast for the docs!)

So no wonder your up at all hours, drinking coffee at 8:00pm, you're a crazy woman! 

On a personal note, had my rad consult yesterday, I will definitely be signing on ... with a not so great margin at my chest wall, and a tumor that with its spidery little fingers expanded to about 4.5cm, and some node involvement I'm going with an aggressive approach to rads.  I won't be starting until the end of June for simulation, she wants time for the chemo drugs to leave my body before starting any CT scans for set up.  She examined my chest to check the elasticity of my skin, I thought that it was quite tight, but she thought that it was just fine.  She suggested to start applying Vit E or equivalent lotion and massage it to the area atleast once a day starting now.  It was pretty weird to have her showing me how to massage myself, I have not really cared for the feel of touch to that area, its kinda numb, kinda sensitive ... I'm sure others can relate. 

I had to fill out the usual med history forms, they had a interesting one on your emotional health, I was to answer 1 to 10 my stress level, I looked at the dh and said, I really don't feel any stress, he couldn't believe I said that and he stated that I'm probably at a 10.  I was so surprised, but he was as serious as a heart attack.  He thinks that I'm thinking about, dealing with bc on a 24/7 basis, as he said, you wake up in the morning thinking about it and go to bed at night with it on your mind.   I could not disagree, it is on my mind more often than I'd like to admit, but it is, what it is at this point in time. 

Whew, this is a long one, the ds caught a ride to the skate rink this morning with a teammate, he does not compete today, only Sunday, so I wasn't to motivated to shower and go at 4:30am.  Hey I could sit here this morning and drink some lovely decaf hotel room coffee and type away, will be heading to the rink soon.  It will be a long day of watching all the other skaters but important to cheer on our team.  The dh had to work today, but will be joining us this evening and will be there to cheer as well tomorrow.

Here's to a great weekend and mom's day to all,

Carol

Hello Jewels!! Hope everyone is having a nice Saturday. I finally finished my requisitions for school late last night - such a relief to be done with them!! Now I just have to work on scheduling and I'll be in good shape! We just hung out at home last night and watched movies while I worked - 27 Dresses (cute!) and Cloverfield (dumb!!). We're heading down to my sil's tomorrow for a Mother's Day lunch - she lives about 45 minutes south of us.

Joan - glad your rads are going well!!

Kathy - I bet it was a much better day to get to follow your partner rather than just sitting and listening! Did you say you're working in a NICU?  Hope you have a nice trip this weekend.

Paula - LOL on the nips announcing how cold you are during rads!! Hope the ballgame went well this weekend!

Carol - I did LAVH + ooph (complete hysterectomy) and I was back at work within 3 ½ weeks. I actually probably could've gone back at 3 but took a couple extra days. I actually had a hernia (in my belly button area) from the way my C-section healed and they fixed that at the same time. I actually had more pain healing from that than the hysterectomy procedure.

Glad you got out of the early am skate! Hope things go well for ds when he races.

Kimberly - thanks for checking on some of our missing Jewels!

Peg - wow, that's a lot to deal with. I hope things work out with your son. Stay strong!

D1 - glad you liked your "happy dance" - I'm sure you're still doing it! Hope you had a great celebration dinner last night! Is Jello supposed to help with hair growth??? That's a new one!

Therese - Wow! Sounds like you're doing great after your surgery!! Take it easy and don't push yourself too hard! Good to take the weekend off.

Tina - hope you got to go to the Farmer's Market today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!!! Hope you enjoy your double celebration!

Maz - sorry to hear you're having a hard time after your last tx. {{{{BIG HUGS}}}}} Hang in there, dear - the se's will soon pass and you'll be feeling better.

SheShe - glad your rads are going well. Hope the job search is successful. Sounds like you have a lot going on right now. Take care of yourself!

Well, I signed up for the 5K in St. Louis in June with my co-worker's team, "Jules Rules!" My sister and cousins will be joining me - I'm really looking forward to it. Hope I can make the whole walk by then - need to get movin' on the treadmill!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and all the moms have a great Mother's Day!!

Julie

Happy Mother's Day Jewels!  I've read all the posts, so many to catch up on... probably won't be doing personal shout-outs today.  But did want to comment on the SP thing.  I wasn't sure either, Paula and D1, about keeping it a "secret" or not if/when I figure out who the person is.  I think it would be cool to know who had who at the end of each "quarter" before we switch again though.  I also think it's nice to hear what people are receiving if you want to tell about it.  Some of us are not as creative as others, plus then we won't be sending the same thing all the time either.  I have some ideas for my SP, just have to find some time to go shopping for her.

Saturday was the memorial for my friend's mother.  It was absolutely beautiful.  My friend, her father, and brother put together a slide show of pictures of her mom from her birth to her death.  She was a remarkable woman.  She'd visited all 50 states (went to #50-Hawaii-in 2006).  She helped start the Wellness Community in our hometown/area.  And she also liked to raise monarch butterflies from egg to butterfly.  She even grew the milkweed they liked to eat.  They had a church service, and at the end of it we all went outside.  Her dad put the urn (? she was cremated... not sure what the box is called) in a special receptacle in a wall outside of the church, and then my friend and her brother let a whole cage of monarch butterflies loose over the wall.  It was just beautiful.  Needless to say, it was an emotional day for so many reasons.  The pictures of her bald during her chemo were just beautiful works of art, and made me teary.  But I know my friend's mom was looking down proudly on how nicely her children and husband made tribute to her that day.  And doing it all on Mother's Day weekend was perfect.

The rest of the day I visited with my dad, and then my mom.  We got home late last night.  Today I got to sleep in (woo hoo... 7:30!  That's good for me).  Dh cleaned the whole house.  He and the kids got me a really pretty pink pearl BC bracelet.  Will be wearing that to work tomorrow.

Another busy week ahead, but it seems that I'm feeling more normal the busier I become.  Gotta run, time for lunch.  Will post the upcoming week's schedule soon.

Hey Jewels, its a good sign when the post is kinda quiet, hopefully everyone is enjoying Mom's day in one way or another.

Happy Birthday to Tina ... treating yourself to some sushi today???  Hope your having a great day!

We're driving home as I type from Portland, (no I'm not driving), this air card on the dh's puter is pretty cool!  We have one very proud ds in the car, although he did not qualify in his individual events this weekend, he and his best friend did qualify for nationals in their two man relay.  Took 3rd place and you need atleast a 4th place to go to Lincoln Nebraska of all places in July.  Looks like he will be tagging along with his teammates folks, as I will be up to my hoot in rads come July. 

Took a 1/2 of a Lorazepam to try and knock myself out for this ride home, otherwise I become a nervous passenger (would rather be the driver)!  It takes about 3 hours from Portland to home, so maybe I'll try to take a nap.  Knowing me I'll probably be checking back in tonight ... enjoy the rest of our day/evening my jewel friends.

Carol

Happy Mother's Day to all Jewels!

Happy Birthdy to Tina!

 Thanks to all for the good wishes for my birthday.  Yes, I had a really nice day. At work they had a breakfast for me and then later my aide made a delicious chocolate cake and the kids all sang Happy Birthday. Then I met friends at Happy Hour and had drinks and dinner after my treatment.  Then on Saturday my sisters came and also Mother's Day. We went to the home to visit Mom and went to Shadows (a nice river front restaurant ) for dinner. My sister Maureen (she's the 9 year bc survivor)stayed over and we rented a movie and had a relaxing evening. Then..today my niece and nephews came to see Mom and we went out to lunch. It was a busy and fun weekend. Lots of eating out!

So far, so good with the radiation treatments. 4 down and 29 to go!  I see the doctor and nurse tomorrow at my treatment.

D1 - thanks for all the rads tips. They will definitely be helpful. I'm really lucky to have you as my rads guide for this journey!

Carol - thanks for the b-day card in the mail. I was so excited to get it! You are so thoughtful.

Joan

Hi Jewels,

Kimberly - that sounds like a great walk. Up here (upstate NY) we have a 5K walk sponsored by a local organization that does wonderful things for bc patients, survivors, and research. Its called Miles of Hope. The founder is an occupational therapist who treats bc patients after breast surgery. She was great. She also runs exercise classes at the cancer center. I will definitely be joining in the walk on September 28 (which was my grandmothers b-day by the way)

Joan

Happy Mother's Day to all the Jewels!!!

...& a Happy Birthday to Tinalee!!!

Hope everyone had a beautiful weekend.

Therese

Good Morning Jewels,
I had a quiet Mommy’s Day. I got to relax in the morning while the dh worked on our yard…putting in new a new section of fence (he curved it to match the curve of the corner lot our house sits on) and patio off the dining room where we will eventually replace the window with a set of French doors. The idea is to have a European Street Café. We have a corner lot, so this portion of the new fence is now half the height of the rest of the fence with wrought (sp) iron fencing making up the rest of the height so we can see out to the street. He built a beautiful gate, too, so that we can invite our neighbors who may be passing by to join us for a glass of wine. We plan to hang a sign that we can change that says, Café Open or Café Closed.

My son was with his gf’s family in the morning, then they did their grocery shopping for the week and came over for a bit afterwards. The dh and I had dinner together on our patio, then watched the Survivor finale.

D1- Isn’t is fun getting little surprises in the mail? We do this at school during the holidays. It’s so fun to try to guess who our pal is based on the ‘little’ gifts in our mailbox.  Then, on the final day, we bring the ‘big’ gift to place under the tree. After school, we all gather to try to guess who our pal is and open our ‘big’ gift.

So glad you enjoyed your Ruth Chris dinner and that the dd finally got her head in the game.  Poor thing…it is so hard at that age to remember to take a deep breath and let the negative words of others roll off your back knowing those words reflect the other person’s issues and not our own.

Man, it amazes me the time and money commitment sports is for so many families. Should I cross my fingers for a loss?
Maybe not getting into Nationals will help her de-stress a bit. She’s got lots on her plate with SAT’s coming up. When is she out of school?

Speaking of finger nails, I had one catch on something and tear down to the quick…OUCH!!!  And I keep my nails short for that very reason.  I didn’t know about not submerging the nails…heck, I’ve been soaking in the tub more than I used to in order to just relax and soak.

What? You cleaned your own oven and vacuumed on Mother’s Day?  Maybe your dh didn’t get the memo.


Paula- You’re sounding in good spirits. Man, in two weeks, you’ll be done with Taxol, and be much closer to being done with rads, too.  That’s interesting doing chemo and rads at the same time.

I PM’s JKiss and Sheebas on Sat. Hopefully, they will check in with us. I forgot that Wendy was Wink, so I need to PM her, too.

You’ve got a busy schedule this next week. Your students are so lucky to have you and after what they’ve done for you, it is clear they know how lucky they are. Good luck with your fundraising.

Kathy- I agree that we need to reveal our treasures as we get them, and then at the end reveal who we think our SP is. I’ll try to remember to remind everyone at the end of August to post who they think their SP is. I’ll post the SP partners after everyone has had a chance to guess before I send out our Sept. SPs.

The memorial for your friend’s mom sounded beautiful. I love the butterflies being released. Such a tribute to something she loved so much.

WOW on the dh cleaning the whole house (he totally forgot to send out the memo), and the pink bracelet sounds like it was a gift he and the kids picked out with such love…the Mother’s Day signifying so much more than just celebrating you being their mom/wife, but celebrating you being their mom/wife for a long time to come.

Our schedule certainly is getting shorter. WhooHoo.  It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven months since I, as so many of us were, was diagnosed in October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I PM’d my update.

Carol- Congrats to the ds!  What a great Mom’s Day gift to see your kids do so well.  Lincoln, Nebraska in July? Being unable to go may be a perk of rads…it will be so icky weather wise.

I know what you mean about being a nervous passenger. My dh makes me a bit nervous as his eyes aren’t always on the road. IMO, he’s got ADD (acute distracted driving disorder). Hahaha.

Peg- Oh, I am so glad that you heard from you son. Yippee!!!

Joan- Your birthday weekend sounds like it was great with lots of family, friends, and food.  I like the whole extended celebration idea.

The Miles of Hope walk sounds like a wonderful fundraiser for a wonderful organization.

Sherry- That was a wonderful gift… the check for Heavenly Hats.  I certainly will keep my fingers crossed for you and your job search.

CathyCa- I knew someone would have support ideas for Peg. Thanks for filling that need. My son went through quite a few diagnoses and was on a plethora of meds for a long while. Thankfully, he’s learned some great coping skills and is no longer on meds at all. He was thought to have bipolar disorder and was on Lithium for awhile.

Therese- Right back at ya, sweetie.

I’m off to meet this sisters for our spa day. I can’t wait!
I’m going to drop off my car for an oil change, and then to have it hand washed and waxed while I’m getting spa’d.  My poor little Mustang hasn’t had a bath in awhile. Thought Bobert ( my older sister’s husband passed away suddenly three years ago and Terrie thought Robert would want me to have his Mustang. I feel so honored to have it as he loved that care and took such good care of it) deserved a little pampering, too.

SIS KImberly

Hello Jewels,

Got home yesterday from our busy weekend in Portland, the dh whipped into the store on the way home, bought a couple steaks and made a great tossed salad to go with it. No cooking for me on Mom's day (yeah)! I actually was almost in a vegetative state on the way home, took a "little" something to relax, and it totally knocked me, it's a pretty quick 3 hour when your sleeping!

Went to work this morning "under protest", on my way there I thought, I should take the afternoon off. Once again that darn type "A" personality of mine had me all riled up. I hate being gone for the weekend and coming home to the household chores. So, left work at 10:30, swung into Home Depot to buy some more annuals, (the marigolds we're hiatus looking) and I wanted two flats of them so went to the expensive nursery, stupid thing to do the day after Mom's day, they were wiped out of marigolds! So I placed my order and they should be in on Weds. Ended up buying geraniums and pot stuffers, so my hands will be getting dirty this afternoon, after my "chores" are done!

Figured I check in with the Jewels since I'll be going like a wild woman once the ds gets home. Haircut for him (want him looking spiffy for a job interview on Weds), and then on to skate practice. No rest for him!!!

LJ, hoping for some "good" results on your PET, lets hope that those little Pac Man chemo drugs did a job on any pesky tumors. God knows you'll be able to get all kinds of support and advice with whatever your next phase of txt is right here!

Cool on the softball game, I bet there were some phenomenal players on that team. Awesome photo as well.

Kimberly, so do you want to be my neighbor???? My envision of your patio is way cool, and there's nothing better than sharing a glass with friends and neighbors outdoors!

I'm sure your outing to the spa will be fantastic, gave me good reminder that I have to take advantage of massage as well. To many things to do and not enough time here!

So is the "stang" an oldie?

Paula, glad your enjoying your book, having no clue what books you may already have or whom you like (ie authors, bios) I took a chance. So are we drinking coffee at bed time again, looks like you we're posting your last at about 5:00am. I may have not gotten a lot of sleep over the weekend, but I sure made up for a good nights rest last night. I think I must have slept right through any hot flashes.

Noted that Kimberly mentioned you doing chemo and rads together, I thought you we're done with chemo, it caught my attention as I asked my rad dr about trying to get started asap, and she wanted me to wait until the chemo had left the system even prior to taking a CT scan.

Talk about a busy woman, no wonder you don't sleep much, you don't have time! You've got a lucky bunch of students to have you so supportive and involved with them. I hope your able to take a little Paula time for that massage!

Therese, so are we getting any fluffier!!! Hope your healing up nicely, and that ol' coconut feeling is a thing of the past!

Cathy, once again I'm in awe of how supportive this group has become to one another. Hoping that you can help Peg and give her some additional support.

Peg, was so pleased that you did receive a call from your son. I'm sure that hearing his voice and knowing he was safe was a great Mom's day gift.

Joan, my kind of celebration, good food and drink ... so glad you had a nice b-day weekend.

Tina, I'm hoping that your "day" was just as eventful.  Maybe a ride on the Harley's???

Sherry, what a thoughtful Mom's day gift ... my dd and boyfriend did something similar for my b-day, and I was tickled at the gesture.

Good luck with your job hunting, hoping something comes along soon.

D1, so lube the boob eh? We're you told to start prior to your first rad zapping, my doc wants me to start massaging in some Vit E now. I guess it helps loosen up the skin, maybe it has to do with having my hoot "whacked" off and how tight the area is where they stitched me back up.

My rad doc did mention that there could be an increased chance of le with the radiation zaps to the node area below my collarbone. Didn't really like to hear that, but am willing to "gamble" once again and go with the additional zaps.

So how'd the b-ball go this weekend? Hopefully the dd made your mom's day with a great game, I don't know about you with the vacuuming/cleaning the stove on mom's day. Nobody got the hint???

Hope your enjoying your "rad" free days!!! I'll be adding a little "sick" music to the Pod, thanks for the recommendation!

Kathy, a dh who cleans the whole house, gotta love that!!! Thanks again for keeping our txt list going, I for one refer back to it often!!!

What a thoughtful gift you received from your kids, your dh sure nailed this one!!!

Okay, so much for doing chores, better get a move on it or I'll be stressing tomorrow over them ...

Oh, I have also sent a e-mail to Jennifer, has anyone heard anything from her?

Take care my friends,

Carol

Julie, would this be the same ds who brought you to tears a couple weeks ago?, sounds like your raising a fine young man.

Kudos for the wrestling award as well, our little babies are growing up! 

D1, just what I need music by a group called Weepies!!!  Thank god my weepies have settled down, can't wait for the next round.

I'll check out your picks tonight, off to the skate rink ... my fav place to "hang out"!

An uneventful day today, but that's nice for a change.  Watched Survivor finale last night, too.  Anyone else surprised??  Not much to say tonight... just a few brief shout outs.

Paula:  Thanks for the info on Sheebas.  I haven't heard from her either--- hope she's OK and checks in soon to let us all know how she is.

Kimberly:  I like your idea about the "reveal" for the SPs.  I think it will be fun to try and figure it out.

Hope your spa day was relaxing.

LJ:  Hoping for good PET scan news.  It would be nice to be in that percentage group, huh?

Julie:  Glad the tears were good ones this time!

Carla: Good to hear from you and that your spirits are up.  On the chemo home stretch it sounds.

‘Night Jewels.  Gonna go spend some time with my dh.

Hi Jewels,

Thank you, for all the kind birthday wishes.  Yesty was a really nice day.  The dh and ds #1 and #2 took me for a lovely brunch, afterward we went to visit my Mom.  My brother and his family showed up and we all enjoyed some cake and coffee.  The weather was fabulous all day, sunny, but cool. 

It sounds like everyone had a nice weekend.  I wish they were a few days longer, eh?

Kimberly – If I’m ever in Lincoln, CA, I’m stopping by for a glass of wine!  (When the ‘open’ sign is hanging.) What an inviting area it sounds like it’s turning out to be.  Our back deck is like that.  I’m looking forward to a little warmer weather when we can enjoy the dh’s smoked ribs with the neighbors.

Carol – So very cool to hear about ds’ qualifying for nationals.  He must be so excited.  Did you get  everything planted?  No ride on the Harleys…dh is still doing some work on mine, adding heated grips and some bling here and there.  I’ll have to take a picture when he’s done. 

Therese – How are you feeling?  Did you pass on work this last weekend?

KathyL - I totally get your "busy = normal" feeling.  I really strived to stay busy during the months I worked from home.  The memorial for your friends' Mom sounded beautiful.  Thanks for keeping track of everyone week after week.  

Paula – You gotta be getting close to making your goal for the trip, don’t you?  Boy, I think you’ve thought of every possible way to raise money!  Busy, busy, busy!  That’s just got to feel so good, the closer you get.

Peg – What a blessing to hear from your son.  I’m sure that gives you a sense of relief and possibly a little encouragement?  I hope he comes home soon.

Cathy-CA – I’m with you on the taste buds.  I’m just over three weeks out from the last chemo, and like you said, every now and then I find something that hits the right spot.  It’s just gotta be a matter of time, eh?  Sooner or later those little buggers will be back.

Joan – Glad you had a nice birthday!  It’s so fun celebrating with family members. 

Sherry – That’s right…every 5 years or so, my birthday lands on Mother’s Day.  I don’t mind…I like to spend it with my Mom and my sil (who’s b-day is the 11th, too).  I have to say I get treated pretty darn good.  How sweet of your dd and fiancé to make that donation in your honor.  Perfect gift!

D1 – I followed your recommendation – no vacuuming or cleaning the stove!!  YAY!! No rads, friend! 

Carla - I'm glad you had such a nice weekend with the dd's. Good for you on the relay's!  

Julie - What a cool thing ds did for you!  Don't stress, friend.  It'll work itself out.  Sending positive energy and good wishes to you for Wednesday!   

Kris – Sending good wishes your way for a mild tx tomorrow!

I received a very sweet birthday card in the mail from my SP.  Included was a fantastic recipe for Citrus Chicken and Rice.  I can’t wait to give that a whirl!  I’m not certain of my SP’s identity…at first I thought I’d figured it out…but, now, I’m not so sure.  This is very fun, thank you Kimberly and Carol for coming up with the idea.

Have a great evening everyone.

Tina