For those starting chemo in June

Mary,

Your post just made me laugh!! The part about wakking like Frankenstein for 5 min. and describing people and things because I can't remember their names or what it's called!

My daughter just gets a kick out of when I'm trying to think of a word. Always feels good to laugh.

Thanks!

Mary

Wow, The weather was great PJ, Hey I am cleaning today too. Trying to get at those places that collect everything that you don't know what to do with but if you throw it out you will need it right away.I have made 2 trips to Wally already and I just can't think of another reasonable reason to go again. My husband put my sweeper together and it has 3 filters. Now my husband thinks thats just great but I think its new expensive filters to buy. I wasn't aware that we were suffering from dustmites and pollen but I guess the vacume companies know more than we do about our health but then maybe its a way to make money every so often because we have to buy filters. I am not impressed with them.I priced the filters and they run $8.00 to $25.00. I really want a smoke for some reason the last couple days. I read where if we get cancer in the lungs it will be our B.C. not a new kind of cancer. PJ run for the cure race? You little excercising devil you. I guess I will go this year as I am a surviver. I am getting close to a year since dx. It was in March I think heck who knows. I will have to look that up. Sounds like you had a good Sat.PJ. I better get busy with my cleaning I want to make the sunroom into an office sorta. I won't do any business in there cause I don't have any but I can do bills etc. Another words make a new bigger place for all the sh*t I am getting off my dinning room table, kitchen corners, ice box and little snack table we haven't seen and frankly no one knows what it is because of all the papers etc.My wicker couch in the sunroom is full of books etc. so now I have to put that crap somewhere so I can move the couch to the basement.I don't know where it comes from or how we get it all but gee, I will have more tomorrow. I almost wonder if its worth cleaning it all up. Better go this could take months. Hugs, Mary

Hi Girls, Just wanted to check in. Been so busy with dad and I had throwing up flu, Started at DR. office with dad. Managed to get us both home and boy I felt really bad. Better today and back to work this a.m. Told penny pincher we need to talk couple days ago but haven't yet. In fact she isn't exactly answering my calls. If I didn't think so much of my boss and I talked to him a little and he said what ever I want or need its o.k. Well penny pincher will take care of that. My boss offered to pay all my left over med. bills but penny pincher has never said anything about it. I would rather him not. I would rather be paid for my night shifts. Oh, I have to get back to work, Hugs Mary

Hi Girls, Glad we have MaryP joining us.Its always good to know I am not the only mixed up chemo head. PJ, Janie and Renee should be getting close to being done. MaryP where are you in treatment? you probably told us but chemo brain prevents me from remembering to much too long. Well anything for longer than a thought. I have to get to work early, Penny pincher is gone overnight on an anniversary get away. hugs, Mary

Janie, Thats funny 3 to 6 mons.I heard that about me too. This is a small town and I have no idea how sh*t gets started but maybe some people don't have a life so they invent cliff hanging lives for others. You poor thing, I hope your arm gets better for you. That has to be depressing. Maybe they will be cutting it off before your 3 to 6 months are up. Good luck going your way and so sorry to hear about your 3 to 6 months. Wont we be in the news when we out live our "expected dates?" People will be looking at us thinking we look like we are going to go any minute and wondering how us poor things are even getting around. I am up to 140 lbs!!!!! Everyone tells me how great I look. I do feel better everyday and I don't feel heavy and I am not because of my height but its bigger than I am use to. I was at 122 during treatment and that was a little skeletony for my height. Oh well not smoking probably has something to do with it as I know I would light up when I was hungry. I have thought about that to loose the lbs. but hate to. I took a drag the other day and it tasted bad. I really don't want to start again. Well If I go past 140 I will worry. I said that at 135 and 137 and here I am at 140. I am alive so I better just focus on that and not the lbs. We are to get some snow and ice today. Its going to get bad up north a couple counties. Hope it doesn't get too bad as I worry about my son driving 40 miles to and from work on a two lane. Well better get back to work later girls Hugs, Mary.

My hair is growing fast but is still very thin. What I have is an inch or more long but my bald head still shows through. I had hoped it would come back in thick and I would get something good out of this, but it looks like it will be as thin as ever. Do you all have lashes or brows yet? I only have a couple of lashes and still no brows.

Have a good and healthy night ladies.

Janie

PJB, My arm and hand and right foot are all very swollen. I am still on the antibiotics and have an appointment with the lymphedema specialist. I have figured out myself that this happens after my Herceptin infusion. I think I may be having a mild reaction to it. I swelled and turned red with the Taxol and I think I am doing the same with the Herceptin. It is enhancing the lymphedema.

I do have some good news. My lung nodules are still there, still the same size and about the same number. This indicates that it is most likely some kind of lung disorder rather than metatasis. Also, my doc told me today that since I am so supersensitive to treatment that any stray cancer cells are probably also sensitive to treatment and will respond better.

I just got home for the weekend. Gotta run. Talk to you guys later.

Warm Fuzzies,

Janie

Hi, girls, have to work tonight and late. Just checking in, will be here tomorrow am on the phone doing two things at one time here. HOPE MY BRAIN CAN DO TWO THINGS AT ONE TIME, THATS SCARRY. great news about the nodes not being cancer. Hugs, Mary

Mary, I wish I could be up there so I could give you a hug in person. How hard it is for you with your dad so ill. My dad died when I was 20 of leukemia. My folks lived in South Dakota at the time and my mom asked me to come up to stay with them and help out. I was young and selfish and didn't want to leave my fun college life; a sister did. Now I really regret that. Months after that, he died.

I hope the doctors can figure out ways to get him better. I hope you're able to spend lots of time with him in case they can't. Take good care of yourself.

Hi Girls, Its nice to be home for a change. Thank you for your thoughts and words, It feels so good to come here and be with you girls. I can feel your hug PJ and the warmth and kindness makes me feel not alone. Thanks so much girls. Got a grandson and we put mouse trap together and played until I started falling asleep. I would hear grandma your turn. It was more fun to just catch the mice and watch the whole thing work so we didn't exactly play the long version, we downsized it. You know girls if the U.S. could raise as much money as it is now for Asia just once every couple years we could wipe out cancer, hunger in the U.S., homelessness and many other deseases. the elderly could have the medications they need and people would have medical coverage and wouldn't have to beg for money to cure their children and watch them die because they couldn't get good treatments. Why can't we do it for us? Sometimes I think we jump too soon and we need to slow down and let it absorb first and filter out the information. Soo much of the money is going to be misshandled because its all going too fast. I think we should of learned after 911. Oh well, the big companies like Cat will make a killing selling their tractors and they pay their employees crappy wages and no insurance for most of them because they keep them part time but they work full time so they get small pay and no benifits. They have sold a lot of tractors to rebuild Iraq but the employees wages are being cut and benifits taken away. We had a Maytag factory in Il. and it closed and moved to Mexico. I will never buy a Maytag. I wonder if those idiots know most of the Mexicans are in the U.S. Why would they want to work for them down there when they can come here and make more money??? Thats kinda a slap in the face for the Mexicans. I think they should have to pay them what they have to pay employees in the states. Thats just not fair to the Mexicans. We will be going over the boarder to work one day. Sorry I had to vent. I feel better, Hugs Mary

Good morning girls, Well penny pincher hasn't gotten together with me yet as to raise or being paid for night hours. She is avoiding me but she is very flighty. Its just making me very upset. I am soo tired of being used. Today my boss got cranky at me because he thought I was wrong about a Dr. apt. date. I was right. He is just senile but it gets so very hard to take day after day. He tries to make me sound stupid and I guess thats what upsets me. I always try to make him feel o.k. about his memory and he is kinda mean to me when he thinks hes right and he is seldom right. I could of quit right on the spot today. I have to remember hes ill. Well I have to leave for the hosp. at 4 a.m.tomorrow morn. for my dads surgery. I hope it is good news but since he has lost most of his voice I am affraid of what that might be now. He has been like this for a couple weeks. We thought it was sinus but its gone on too long. I kinda got on one sister yesterday ah, shes the dim firefly in our (family bug) jar . I just am not the patient and easy going person I use to be. She needs to pull her long a#s neck out of the sand and skip a couple zanax and get in reality. O.K. better now.Well better go I will be back later. Hope PJ and Renee are doing fine. Hugs, Mary

Mary, heaps of prayers for your dad and mean thoughts going out to the penny pincher. It sounds like you've just taken too much crap from those people. I don't know how you keep going back every day and night...

Renee, good to hear rads are being kind to you. You and Janie are racing to the end....

My sister's last rad is Thursday. I'll be so glad when we're both done. She's still trying to decide whether to do the tamoxifen. Her onc left town without notifying her, so she's got a couple appts. set up in the next few weeks to find a new one.

9 more to go! How's everybody? Hang in there Mary. Maybe you will find a better job in your future.

Hi girls, Dad is doing fine but almost lost him. Thank God I was in the room because he would be gone. Can't believe the hospital care you pay big bucks for. Home to feed dog and back to work. Glad your back is better PJ. Bone scan isn't bad. I have never had one but some of my patients have. Janie your on your way to done. Renee should be getting close to done. We are all gonna be like normal folk pretty soon. I will be back later, Hugs Mary

Did any of you ever think what would happen in rads if that big ol disk just kept on coming down towards you and didn't stop? Or am I the only weird one? 7 more to go!