Jan 2008--Ain't it Great?

golfer779 · June 2008

D1, hey nothing like cutting to the chase!!! I think today will be a good day to adorn my FUBC T-shirt for its final outing to the lounge.

As your taking your first little pill, I'll join you by taking a Lorazepam this morning to friggin' mellow me out!!! Although its always easy to look at the se's and say "shit", try reading the list of benefits a time or two. As we've all said, we're making decisions that we feel are the right choices for us. I'll echo your daughters comment to you!!!

Kris, good luck today, #12 is getting closer all the time!!!

Back later, Carol

SISKimberly · June 2008

Good Morning Jewels,
It’s a breezy, but sunny morning here in Lincoln. I am not happy about being so energetic and raring to go just last week only to be restricted this week. Fooey!!!! Oh well, I’ll just be in the moment and accept this opportunity to let my body heal once again.

The Foobies are looking fine. The area where the drains are located are the issue as far as discomfort, but only three more days!!!! They come out Thursday morning. WhooHoo!!!

Kathy- Will be thinking about your tonight as your dd has her last gymnastics recital for the year. Got your Kleenex and the camera ready?

Paula- I love Andy Griffith and his goofy sidekick, Barney.
Glad you and Ed are finding things to make you chuckle…laughter is good medicine.

Why do you add a week to the end of the year? Is that kid time or teacher time or a combo?

Glad you’re able to get Ed started on this trial this week with labs getting done. Will you stay for the results and then start the actual treatment?

Standford is just a few hours from where I live, and Carol is coming in August, too. Any chance you guys will be here at the same time? I’d love to meet you.

Carol- Oh, I’m so sorry you had a Weepies fest. It’s a combo of hormones running amuck, your last chemotini, and starting rads hitting you all at once. (((HUGS)))

I think you did have a power flicker as your first post hiccupped and repeated itself in the same post.

Bummer you’ll miss the dd’s graduation, but I’m sure she understands that being home will be much better than potentially having a digestive malfunction there.

I just stated to Paula that it would be fun to meet her since she’ll be in town. Wouldn’t that be cool to all meet?

I’m thinking about you today and sending lots of positive energy your way to get through today physically, emotionally, and mentally with as little negative impact as possible. However, if the tears do come…then let ‘em clear out the emotions.

You’ll be glad to know…no potty dreams…just waking to pee.

CathyCa- Good to hear from you. Sounds like rads has been a piece of cake for you so far. Excellent. Your training sounds like it will be just the right recipe with the two leaders coordinating their long and short walks. Are you on a team? Do you have a website like Carol?

D1- Whoohoo on not having to see a doc in three months!!!!

Besides my plastic surgeon, I have my annual pap next week, a recheck with my breast surgeon in July, and no onc until Sept. He will have had plenty of time to get over not agreeing with my choice by then. HeeHee After that, I imagine my visits to the docs will be farther and fewer between. Yippee.

You asst. onc sounds like a great gal!!!! Is she taking into consideration the fact you’re taking Tamox? Just wondering since this is a menopause study.

Speaking of Tamox, your daughter hit it right on the head. You’ve made the choice to take Tamox, so shift the attitude about it and treat it like a vitamin…a big vitamin, but something that will benefit you like a vitamin. If you experience se’s that you don’t like, you can always stop taking it.

Kris60- You’re getting closer and closer, gal. Kick some cancer butt, today.

SIS Kimberly

JulieK_11_30_07 · June 2008

Carol and Kris60 --- thinking of you both today -- kick some cancer bootie!!!!

I'll post more later when I have more time!

Julie

joteach · June 2008

Hi Jewels,

Paula - thanks for asking about my boob. Its doing OK. I don't have any sores or blisters either, just some tan and pink. It is very tender to the touch and uncomfortable though. I'm done with 24 tx and have 9 to go. 5 of these are the boosts.

The weather is awfully HOT with the heat index over 100. This is not helping. I stayed home from work for 2 days(no air conditioning at the school). Its supposed to storm tonight and get some relief tomorrow. We even had to cancel a field trip scheduled for today.

D1 - I also believe that "affirmation of survival is a wonderful attitude adjuster".

On Sunday I went to a Survivors Day held at the cancer center where I go for tx. I saw a lot of the staff there. They asked for a $5 donation and we got t-shirts and free lunch. The entertainment was great. It was an oldies do-wop band, The Earls, and they were a lot of fun. My sister (also a bc survivor) came with me. It was uplifting to see all the survivors. They have this event every year. I'm also signing up for a local walk for bc and one in NYC in October.

D1 - That's great about not seeing the onc for 3 months! I'm also dreading the meds thing. I will be on arimidex for 5 years. I don't know why that is bothering me so much. I guess because its so long-term. Definitely FUBC!!!!!

Kimberly - SO glad your surgery went well. Loved the "foobie" poem!

Joan

Cathy-CA · June 2008

D1 -- Someday taking those pills will be easy, but I can understand the reluctance now. I felt the same way every round about the Decadron. I don't know that generic exercise helps, but I truly believe being in a salt water pool does. My skin feels great after being in the pool. I know chlorine dries skin out, but whatever they do with salt water pools leaves it feeling really good. I try to hit aqua aerobics 4-5 times a week.

Kimberly -- my website for the 3-Day is here . Yes, I'm on a team with some women from Philadelphia.

Joan -- congratulations on being almost done with rads! I'll hit the halfway point this week and then start my countdown.

Determined1 · June 2008

So I'm sitting here thinking about Carol and Kris today. Hope you both are doing okay.

I got the pill down. Grabbed some yogurt and that did the trick. You know, I think Joan's right. We have to take these meds for such a long time and we're just ready to be done with it. It makes the medicine harder to get down. How many people have asked YOU if you're all done with tx? People ask me all the time. And I feel like, yeah, I'm done with surgery, chemo and rads, but I have to take a pill for 5-10 years that will have se's, so I'm not done till I take the last pill. By the time I spin all of that out, whomever was being nice to ask has long ago rolled their eyes back in their heads in a moment of complete communication breakdown. Know what I mean? Maybe with time I'll consider myself done with tx, even though I'm still doing HT, but right now, it all seems to be part of my tx deal. (Gosh I hope that made sense, this introspection stuff is difficult for me to articulate.)

SISKimberly-I'm so glad you're bouncing back so quickly. I know Thursday seems far away right now, but before you know it, the drains will be gone and you'll be in Victoria's Secret seeking out the best way to present your new girls! You remind me that I need to schedule a gyn visit, too. I want to get in there and be checked out nine ways to Sunday before the Tamoxifen gets all up in my body. I think a baseline would be good (just me talking, no docs have urged this). Oh, yeah, the asstonc knows about the Tamox-it puts me in one of their study "groups" being on it. And she did confirm that I can stop taking it if I can't handle it. Who knows, I might get lucky and lose that last 5 pounds that are giving me trouble while on it! (It's not supposed to affect weight one way or the other, but my pharmacist said she hears of women losing weight on it all the time-maybe I'll get lucky.)

Joan, your survivor's day sounds like fun. And how wonderful to share it with your sister! My fingers are crossed for that promised front of storms, too-I can't take much more of this oppressive heat!

Oh, and ergggg. I went in to make my appt with the rotator cuff therapist and she doesn't have an opening till July 1-so the waiting for relief continues...

D1

Oh, and congrats to Carol, who bumped us to page 100!!!

Jenn51 · June 2008

Hi Jewels,

Let's try this again. A line of storms moved thru this AM but now we are supposed to be dry till Thurs. PM.

The rest of the weekend was uneventful, but yesterday was major! I got my hair colored. It looked SO bad, really dark & really grey. I've always had some help but you can see from the picture that I'm basically a blonde. This salt & pepper cr@p was for the birds. My hairdresser is my bff we went to the casino with & when we got into the car she announced it was time for color. I could have kissed her! So last night we had another ‘date' & went to her house for hamburgers, corn, pot salad & hair color. I feel so much better. Every little piece of the puzzle we put back together is so good!

Julie, your backyard sounds lovely. And all of that help. My dh isn't much on flower beds etc. so if any weeding is to be done, I'm the one. And this year the weeds are winning.

Carol, your endless energy never ceases to amaze me. Where do you get it? I didn't have that much before bc. Congrats on your last tx! It's great to have that mountain behind us. I went into the chemo room today to have blood drawn from my port. Once I was there I realized that I didn't have that feeling of dread like I did when I watch the poison pump into my veins, knowing what was coming in a few days.

NO to everyone, I didn't win anything. But I had a lot of fun and towards the end of the evening I made $4 last over 2 hours before I lost it. And there is always next time.

Kathy, your event sounds wonderful. And very moving. I'm sure there were lots of tears to be found right along side the laughter.

Kimberly, how great to be done! Being only about half way thru I can't imagine how it will feel to be free of the daily/weekly appts. You should have heard my WooHoo all the way to Calif.

Your poem is good! You really should do this for a living. And I loved the reference to Helen Reddy! Thanks for the positive thoughts on me & dh.

D1, you're not only our leader but a world traveler. How wonderful! I got to Germany, England, France & Switzerland with my exdh and I know what you mean feeling guilty we only speak 1 language. I learned a little German in prep for my 1^st trip there. I learned to ask for the ladies room so well the 1^st time I used it they guy answered me in German. Must have thought I could understand him. Well I didn't & ended up in the men's room. OOPS! Dh is rather a homebody, probably due to his failing eyesight, but I don't think I'll be going anywhere great anymore.

Good for you & the study and having to experience the needle to do it is even better.

Maz, What a great picture. What a nice looking son. So good to hear that he is doing well. We don't hear enough about the success stories. Those need to be shouted out from the rooftops.

Dinner is in the oven & I better wrap this up. I pray that everyone is feeling better each day. Love & hugs to everyone of you.

golfer779 · June 2008

In the words of Sis Kimberly "WhoooooHoooooo", I was able to leave my chocolates at the office!!!! Thanks Kimberly for the positive "mojo", your call this morning helped me as I was a bit apprehensive about my counts. My txt was pretty uneventful (just the way I like it). Now just 5 more days of downing my pills, and yep ... this part of my txt is going to just be a memory. I'm hoping that I can be a good support person for Debra as she tackles what seems to be a pretty tolerable treatment, just a long 6 months. I won't remind her of that part, time will do that for me.

Anyway, hoping this pic turned out, its hard to catch Kent with his eyes open in a pic without him forcing them open (the Marty Feldmen look isn't too appealing!)

Note, I'm sporting a pretty cool spiderman bandage! And Bo, it took me about 10 seconds to towel dry my hair and throw on a ball cap!!!

I'm also happy to report that I left my weepies behind, today has been a great day all the way around. I'm really giving the gut a test as we hit Mexican food on our way home. Passed on the beans though (I know with all my complaining of last week I should be eating that fiber by the spoonfuls). We then hit Costco to buy of all things peanuts for our squirrel friends, left with a shopping cart full of beer, wine, and yes some assorted food too. Our garage fridge has looked kinda pathetic over the last 6 months, as it usually has a pretty good stock of beverages, not just bottles of water and vita drinks of recent! We've got some making up to do with entertaining friends as well as family around here.

Well there's not much of a break as far as appts go, off the rad doc on Thursday for my "stimulation" as I like to call it. I'm ready to keep on rolling!!!

Gonna go for a short walk, about a 4 miler, figure that should help with moving that Mexican food through the proper channels!!!

Back later tonight, looks like we're watching b-ball with the dd (who's packed up and home from college) and my fil. I'll be peaking at the game over the top of my puter!

Thanks for the encouragement ladies, it really does lift a gals spirits!

Carol

sheshe48 · June 2008

Hi Ladies,

Sorry I dissapeared for awhile, I have been so stressed out, i'm going to try and read all the postings this weekend and get caught up. I have 4 rad treatments left. I got my first boost today and I am so burnt, my nipples have a blister or two. They are only going to concentrate on my tumor bed now. So maybe I can get some relief under my arm and breast. For the past 2 nights I have slept topless Surprised with a soft t-shirt propped under my breast and under my arm for relief. Motrin helps with the pain. Yesterday they had "survival day" at the cancer center, they took pic if I see one of me in the paper I will show them to you. They gave us a goodie bag and gave us lunch it was real nice. My treatments are almost over they seem to be making me tired. I also found something out I like to take flax seed oil for energy. I was told it has estrogen in it and if you have estrogen positive cancer like me, you can't use it. So now I have to stop that too. My oncol talked me into taking tamoxifen, for whatever reason my body is making alot of estrogen. Your body makes it thru the fat tissues and endoctrine system (sp). As well as the ovaries we all know that. I have been on it for almost a week, I have to take it at night, it makes me out of it during the day and sleepy. My oncol said he is trying to save my life and this is the only way he knows how. I'm going to give it a try. I still have not found a job and i'm getting so stressed about it. Today I was extremely tired, I think it's the treatments taking it's toll on me. I have been going to the gym twice a week and working out, i'm feel i'm getting stronger. I will resend the pic this weekend or at least one or two. I'm so stressed I can't function right now.

I hope and pray every Jewel and their families is ok. I promise to get caught up this weekend. I won't be able to respond to all of the postings I do want to read them. I think and pray for everyone every night. I just can't get my brain to function to log on, and I have been at my mom's alot helping her. I spent last weekend at my sisters house that helped me with some of my stress levels. I guess I have been kind of busy.

God Bless, Sherry

MI had killer storms a couple of days ago, 6 people died. We were all lucky and spared and our power did not go off either. No tornados just F1 hurricane winds. I love summer but hate the storms, stay safe jewels.

Carol I knew you could get thru all your chemo. Good luck on rads, it really does go by pretty quick. I really bonded with my rads team they are the greatest.

Kris Good luck with chemo and get feeling better soon

JulieK_11_30_07 · June 2008

Happy Tuesday evening, Jewels! The ds and I spent today outside by the pool ---- okay, I was BY the pool; he was IN it scooping out all of the leaves until the pool got too cloudy for him to see them anymore. It was another hot one, but the humidity wasn't too bad, so it actually wasn't too bad being outside.

Kimberly - LOVE the pic of you and your sweetie! Glad you're feeling good - if only you didn't have to deal with those darn drains - I feel for you, dear! Good thing that your output is already low - Thursday will be here before you know it. Girl - you don't stop!! A concert again on Friday night? That one should be awesome - I like both Sheryl Crow and Los Lonely Boys! Sounds fun!

Kathy - Hope you get a break from the heat soon. Around here, if it rains, the humidity usually gets even worse! I hope dd's gymnastics finale goes well tonight!!

Paula - Sounds like things are busy for you - I sure hope Ed is able to get started on the clinical trial this week. Glad you've been able to continue your rads through all this. Is the extra week at the end of your school year just for teachers?

Carol - Sorry you got the weepies yesterday, but so glad your tx went well today - LOVED the pic!! I got a little weepy myself yesterday after a trip to WalMart. I really noticed a LOT of people glancing/staring at me (I had a scarf on my head), then giving me this "look." It's hard to explain, but I got to the point that I was so sick of all the looks!!! By the time I got to my car, I felt the tears falling down my cheeks and I really wasn't even sure why. I hope your se's are minimal for your LAST tx --- Mexican tonight? You're brave, girl!!!

Yes - school's out for all of us. I went for the last day at my school on May 27 and my ds was done on May 29. The dh works all summer b/c he's an administrator, but their students were out the last week of May also. We start SO early, though - next year we are back in session on August 12!! I remember when I first started teaching we would be starting around August 25!

CathyCA - that was very nice of you to talk to the woman whose mom was just diagnosed. I'm sure she really appreciated your insight to what she'll be going through. Hope your training is going well!

D1 - glad all of your appts went well! I think your daughter had a really good point about keeping a positive attitude. Take it from someone who is just "done" - no follow-up meds, left hanging, just hoping the damn chemo did its job b/c there's nothing else for me (and several others who are also triple-neg), at least you have the option of HT. I think Kimberly has a good take on it - look at it like a vitamin that will help you.

Joan - sure hope you get some relief from the heat also! I could not work in a school without air - especially in my computer lab! Glad you were able to stay home. Sounds like your rads are going well - good to hear it! Congrats on being almost done!!

Jenn - YAY for you - you got to color your hair!!! How exciting! I'm noticing that my grays are about twice as long as my dark hairs - what's with that??!!!! You sound so good - glad you're feeling better.

Sherry - Sorry you've been so stressed - I hope it gets better for you soon. Glad you're almost done with rads - that's an accomplishment!! Sounds like your survival day at your cancer center was nice - glad you got to enjoy it. I read about the storms in MI - so glad they missed you.

Well, Jewels, I hope everyone is having a good night. Special {{{{{HUGS}}}}} to all our Jewels who haven't checked in for a while - thinking of you all!

Julie

tinalee123 · June 2008

Good evening, Jewels.

Weather around here has been cooler than normal. This was good last weekend, as we were able to get some things done outside, in preparation for ds #2’s graduation open house on the 22nd. But, as you’ve all heard about the Midwest getting inundated with rain, we’re due for more tomorrow and Thursday. I was to go to Iowa for work next week, but, the town I’m heading to (Waverly) is under water and my customer has vacated their building. The employees cannot get to work, all roads in and out of the town are closed. We have quite a few people in Des Moines who are at the ready to evacuate. Crazy ass weather.

Carol – Was thinking of you today as you headed in for your last tx! YAY!!! So happy for you! What a great picture. Truly a day for celebration, huh?

D1 – I felt the same as you about taking that tamox pill. I really had to work up the nerve to do it. I take it just before bed. I can’t tell if it’s causing any extra night sweats (one se), cause I’m half asleep when I notice it anyway! I really haven’t noticed any other se’s. I do take 1000 iu of vitamin E, and 1000 glucosamine as advised by onco. I’m thinking like Kimberly, if the thing makes life miserable, I don’t have to live that way.

Kimberly – Woohoo out to you! I’m so glad to hear that you’re doing so well! Finally – a break!!

Maz – What a great picture of you and ds. How great that he’s doing so well, celebrate the accomplishments (however large or small). My ds #1 went through the same thing. He’s now a 20 ½ year old, trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He’s a joy to be around now. Wishes for continued success go to him.

Jenn – I think it’s really interesting how you, and so many of the other jewels have world travels under your belt! I am hoping your area stays dry. We’re hearing of storms out to the west that could head our way. Doesn’t this seem a little early in the season for such severe weather? It’s so cool you and your dh had a date!

Sherry – I’m sorry to hear your struggling! Sending wishes for less stress and that you’ll bounce back soon. I, too, love summer – but these storms are something else!

TTFN Jewels!

Tina

tinalee123 · June 2008

Carol -- I heard on tonights news that Snoqualmie had a foot of snow, and over a foot in the North Cascades! Ds #1 packed appropriately...but, seriously...prepare for over a foot of snow...in June?!? I will be eager to hear about that when he returns July 5th.

Tina

golfer779 · June 2008

Tina, you certainly heard right ... its crazy! This is definitely not the norm, but it does look like it may be back to the low 70's by the weekend, I'm sure that will be a welcome relief to their group.

Sherry, glad you could take a little time and come back to share your story. Your getting so close to finishing up, hang in there gal. You've been through your fair share of stress over the last few months, try your darndest to keep your chin up. We're all here when the need to vent, bitch, or cry out to any of us, its such a bummer to be so spread out throughout our country when a big ol' hug would maybe just help out just a little.

By all means, don't stress over the posts, enjoy reading them when your feeling like it, and lets us know how "your" doing when you can. The Jewels stick together.

Julie, gosh, we're finally getting into our summer swing when you all are going back to school.

Hey there must have been something in the air yesterday, I don't know about you, but the weeps totally wear me out. I told my dh that it was nice to not be so "whakko" today, he calmly informed me I wasn't a whakko yesterday, and not to feel bad about having some emotions bubbling over.

I did go for a short walk, stopped to visit our elderly neighbor who moved from next door to a much smaller home about a mile away. We shared a big hug and visit, she unfortunately had to put down one of her little weiner dogs. It was sad to see just the one looking kinda lost without its buddy. We both ended up crying as she told me her story.

Came home and passed on dinner, felt kinda bad as the dh had prepared a nice salmon dinner, but it was some Activa for me and more water. Feeling pretty darn good, hoping to catch a few zzzz's tonight and back to work tomorrow. We'll see just how much sleep I get on the ol' steriod buzz.

Thanks again for the pleasant thoughts, night all, Carol

golfer779 · June 2008

Tina, you certainly heard right ... its crazy! This is definitely not the norm, but it does look like it may be back to the low 70's by the weekend, I'm sure that will be a welcome relief to their group.

Sherry, glad you could take a little time and come back to share your story. Your getting so close to finishing up, hang in there gal. You've been through your fair share of stress over the last few months, try your darndest to keep your chin up. We're all here when the need to vent, bitch, or cry out to any of us, its such a bummer to be so spread out throughout our country when a big ol' hug would maybe just help out just a little.

By all means, don't stress over the posts, enjoy reading them when your feeling like it, and lets us know how "your" doing when you can. The Jewels stick together.

Julie, gosh, we're finally getting into our summer swing when you all are going back to school.

Hey there must have been something in the air yesterday, I don't know about you, but the weeps totally wear me out. I told my dh that it was nice to not be so "whakko" today, he calmly informed me I wasn't a whakko yesterday, and not to feel bad about having some emotions bubbling over.

I did go for a short walk, stopped to visit our elderly neighbor who moved from next door to a much smaller home about a mile away. We shared a big hug and visit, she unfortunately had to put down one of her little weiner dogs. It was sad to see just the one looking kinda lost without its buddy. We both ended up crying as she told me her story.

Came home and passed on dinner, felt kinda bad as the dh had prepared a nice salmon dinner, but it was some Activa for me and more water. Feeling pretty darn good, hoping to catch a few zzzz's tonight and back to work tomorrow. We'll see just how much sleep I get on the ol' steriod buzz.

Thanks again for the pleasant thoughts, night all, Carol

golfer779 · June 2008

Tina, you certainly heard right ... its crazy! This is definitely not the norm, but it does look like it may be back to the low 70's by the weekend, I'm sure that will be a welcome relief to their group.

Sherry, glad you could take a little time and come back to share your story. Your getting so close to finishing up, hang in there gal. You've been through your fair share of stress over the last few months, try your darndest to keep your chin up. We're all here when the need to vent, bitch, or cry out to any of us, its such a bummer to be so spread out throughout our country when a big ol' hug would maybe just help out just a little.

By all means, don't stress over the posts, enjoy reading them when your feeling like it, and lets us know how "your" doing when you can. The Jewels stick together.

Julie, gosh, we're finally getting into our summer swing when you all are going back to school.

Hey there must have been something in the air yesterday, I don't know about you, but the weeps totally wear me out. I told my dh that it was nice to not be so "whakko" today, he calmly informed me I wasn't a whakko yesterday, and not to feel bad about having some emotions bubbling over.

I did go for a short walk, stopped to visit our elderly neighbor who moved from next door to a much smaller home about a mile away. We shared a big hug and visit, she unfortunately had to put down one of her little weiner dogs. It was sad to see just the one looking kinda lost without its buddy. We both ended up crying as she told me her story.

Came home and passed on dinner, felt kinda bad as the dh had prepared a nice salmon dinner, but it was some Activa for me and more water. Feeling pretty darn good, hoping to catch a few zzzz's tonight and back to work tomorrow. We'll see just how much sleep I get on the ol' steriod buzz.

Thanks again for the pleasant thoughts, night all, Carol

LilWarrior · June 2008

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:3 (KJV)

We need to give credit where credit is due. You may be very blessed. And if you
are, know this: it is not you that caused it. You are blessed because God
blessed you. That is the opinion you ought to have of yourself. Realize that
your blessings did not start and end with you. They started and ended with God.
Somebody has been praying for you, and it was their prayers that brought you
through.

The way God does things sometimes astonishes me. With God, it does not matter
how much you learned in school. It does not matter how good you can scheme and
maneuver the business deal. It does not matter how eloquent your spe ech is.
That is not what's putting you over. What's putting you over is that God has
blessed you in spite of yourself. Somebody who has gone on before you prayed for
you to be blessed.

Some of us had mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers that prayed for
God's mercy to be extended toward us. Some of us are still living off the
prayers and blessings of great-grandparents that we have never even met.

To think soberly is being aware that God has somebody praying for you right now
in the midnight hour. They are praying and interceding for you so that mercy
could come your way. So, when you fall down and hit your face on the pavement of
life, God has somebody praying for you.

When you keep everything in proper perspective, you can think soberly,
understanding that God and only God gets the glory for all the good in your
life. God is good all the time. Give glory to His holy name! Have a blessed day and keep me in your prayers as I do the same for you ladies. Luv Lil Warrior Dana

KathyL · June 2008

Good Morning Jewels! Had some wicked storms go through this area last night, but at least it is a little cooler now (85 for the high today, vs 100+ the past 3 days). Last night was dd's gymnastics finale. She did great and was so happy to receive another medal for her efforts. One activity finished for the summer, one to go! Today I have off, but as usual, will still be busy with all kinds of stuff.

A downer... photobucket is not working for me. Every time I try to upload a picture, it says "upload failed". I can't figure out why it won't work. So I can't post anymore pictures.

Paula: You must be glad the school year is coming to an end. My mom's a teacher retiring at the end of this school year... she's not done until next week, but I'm sure she's eagerly counting the days left. Hope you get to your Relay at least for a little bit; it was a really moving event. Thinking of you and Ed as you prep for his clinical trial.

Carol: Even though I did not post yesty, you were in my thoughts, especially as I was hooked up in the afternoon for my herceptin infusion. Hooray for you and being finished (well, with the infusions at least)!!! Just hoping you get through the last round of SEs smoothly (and those remaining pills). And oh, a few tears are soooo OK-let ‘em flow!

Just saw you post from the "day of"... love the picture! Glad to hear the day was uneventful.

Cathy-CA: Glad to hear rads is going well for you and you aren't too charred. Hope your training goes well. I wonder if they plan these walks as a way for all of us to get back in shape after what we've been through?!? Hahaha...

D1: Glad to hear the good news on your arm and with no docs for 3 months! I haven't seen my onc since April; it's so weird but nice in a way. Enjoy the "free time".

I echo what others said about the Tamox; gag that pill down, and think positively! Having said that, I do know how you feel about not being "done" and trying to explain that to others. Fighting BC is not just about surgery and chemo. Hang in there.

All the GYN talk reminds me that mine did decide to send me for a DEXA scan. I have to schedule it today. Even though I'm far from menopause, I think she wants to get a "baseline" and see what, if anything, chemo has done to my bones at this point. Sounds good to me.

Kimberly: One day closer to no drain...

Joan: Your Survivor Day event sounds nice. And another walker in our midst!

Jenn51: What a great day-some hair color! It's amazing how just having enough hair to dye makes us happy, huh? I can't wait to get back to my blonde, too. I'm not liking this "teddy bear brown" I'm growing.

Sheshe: Remember, one foot in front of the other. I feel your stress in your post and am hoping you can get some relief from it soon. Take it easy on yourself and give yourself time to recuperate slowly/at a pace that's right for you. Everything will fall into place eventually, just have faith. (((hugs)))

Julie: Hey girl. Sorry Walmart had you feeling low. Next time try to imagine everyone looking at you and thinking... "hey, there's one hot, bald chick!" (I hate the looks sometimes, too.)

Tina: I agree, the US weather this season has been crazy too soon. I wonder if all this nasty weather means we'll have a bad hurricane season here in the NE?? I HATE the humidity, but am not too keen on flooding from hurricanes either!

Dana: How are you doing, and what's the latest on your txs???

SISKimberly · June 2008

Good morning Jewels,

Yesterday, while walking with my teacher friend, Julie, who was diagnosed the same time as I was, we saw the most adorable little ducklings with their mother. The sun was hitting the water just in front of them causing the water to sparkle giving what we were observing a sort of magical quality. The babes were still in yellow down, but were beginning to turn more earthy brown like their mama. As we watched, the ducklings scooted into a patch of water grasses not much taller than they were as if playing hide and seek with us, or maybe they just believed once there, they were invisible. So cute.

Today is my first housecleaning with the new service. Greg and I will go out to lunch and a movie while they’re here. I look forward to coming home to a spotless house. The gals even make the beds with clean sheets.

Hey Joan- Good to hear from you. Glad to hear the ole hoot is handling her tanning sessions fairly well. What is with the unseasonably hot weather on the East coast and driving rain and wind in the Midwest? We’ve had winds the past few days and temps in the upper 80’s. Canceling school and fieldtrips due to heat is unheard of out in CA. Wow!!!

WHooHoo for being so close to done!!!! And another Jewels at a Survivors gathering at their cancer center…I guess my cancer center didn’t get the memo. HaHaHa Sounds like a great time especially sharing it with your sister.

CathyCa- Thanks for the link. How great your friends from Philly will be coming to San Diego to do this walk with you. Kudos for helping out the gal whose mom was just diagnosed. When you see her again, you might let her know she can find support here as well with the thread for family and friends.

I wish all public pools were salt water filtered. It is better for the environment and our bodies.

D1- I understand what you mean…I think people, as much as they want to be supportive, would much prefer the Readers Digest version when asking if we’re done with treatment. I imagine they want a “Yes, I’m done” or an “Almost” as opposed to a list of what has been done and what is still to come since they truly can’t comprehend what it all really means anyway, and probably don’t know what to say at the end of the response. But….5+ years is a long time, and wanting to be done with treatment yourself, it must be difficult to wrap your head around taking pills for that long. However, as I said before, take it like a vitamin with your other vitamins and call it good.

I totally understand wanting a baseline with your gyn visit. And heck yeah, you’ve had enough negative se’s…it’s time for some positive ones like losing that last 5 pounds.

Jenn- Excellent on the hair color. That had to be a big boost to the ole psyche. And making $4 bucks last for 2 hours is pretty darn impressive, gal.

Was that you screaming WhooHoo? I thought it was just this wind we’re having in Northern Ca. Hee Hee

Carol- I am soooo glad all went well…as I knew it would. Hope that Mexi didn’t mess with the tummy last night. Love the pic!!!

Your trip to Costco is certainly a celebration shopping with all the spirits purchased. In short order, there is going to be a PAR- TAY at Carol’s house.

Guess I’d better get that bottle of wine ready to ship now that you’re preparing for the countdown.

Hmmm, stimulation on Thursday at the radiologist’s office, eh? Is this doc popular by chance?

Hope you got some sleep last night with those darn steroids. A little Lorazapam chaser to that Activia, maybe?

I slept like crap last night. Another heading out to the recliner night. Only one more night!!!!

SheShe – OH sweetie, you’ve had a time of it as of late. Your poor little hoot has been such a trooper. Only 4 more, you’ll be done by the end of the week then, right. WhooHoo.

I know not finding a job as of yet is stressing you out, but the universe is giving you time to heal and be totally ready for getting back to work full time. Be patient and trust that all is as it should be at this moment. Keep applying for the jobs you want, and one of them will be the one.

Sorry the rads is making you so tired and that Tamox is adding to that se. Again, not having a full time job right now may be a blessing as your body heals and adjusts to the Tamox.

Glad the storms passed over you. (((HUGS)))

Julie – I’m so sorry that people’s stares affected you so yesterday. That’s such a tough one. Now that our hair is starting to grow back, people aren’t sure if we chose this or not, and our imagination wonders if they’re thinking, “Poor thing” or “What was she thinkin’ ?” I agree with Kathy. Just believe they’re thinking, “ There’s one hot looking bald babe!”

On a brighter note….NICE being able to just hang at the pool yesterday while the boy was working. You’re good at the whole supervising the guy labor thing!

I know what you mean about summer getting shorter. We used to have the whole summer when I first started teaching, now we have 10.5 weeks before we’re back for Teacher work days August 21st.
Of course, not that I’m complaining or anything. 10 weeks is enough time to unwind from the year and get caught up on all the projects at home that have taken a back seat, then really relax, and finally work on curriculum for the coming term. July is my curriculum month.

Tina- As posted earlier…what is up with the crazy ass weather? I’m just flabbergasted when I hear things like whole towns are under water. Geeze.

Well, your boy wanted adventure…guess snow in June qualifies.

LWDana – Glad to see you posting. Your reminder that we need to remember to be grateful for all we have was nice, but you didn’t let us know how you are. How are you doing?

Kathy – How long has your mom been teaching? I’ll bet she’s both excited and sad to retire. I have 9 more years as my birthday is in late June, so I have to go an extra year to be 55 when I retire. Seems like a long time, but I know it will fly by faster than I expect.

Have fun with the kiddos today. Glad the dd’s gymnastic recital went well. Boo, on photobucket not letting you upload the pics.
Did you check to make sure the pics had a .jpg after the title or number of the pic you’re trying to upload?

Man, this is one long post. Have a great day gals.

Secret Pal…I haven’t forgotten you. I’ll be sending you a little something next week.

SIS Kimberly

KathyL · June 2008

Wow! I'm better with the PC than I knew! I figured out the photobucket problem. Here's our luminaria picture from the slideshow. The other picture picture is me and my "dove". Gonna hit send and hope these look OK on the site...

golfer779 · June 2008

Hello All

First off, Kathy the pics are way cool. Sure is nice to see "In Honor Of". Lets hope that those "In Memory Of" become much more far and few between. Is that your "I hope this bird doesn't poop in my hand look"? You look like a million bucks!!! Thanks for sharing you PC geru!

So are your Herceptin infusions pretty non-eventful as far as se's, and how long does the txt take?

Kimberly, I say save the shipping and we'll cork that bottle in a little over 8 weeks!

Hate to say it but my "stimulation" will be no better than a simulation with my "woman" rad doc ... darn!

Hey not bad, out for a walk with drains and all. Here's to being drain free tomorrow and a good nights sleep real soon.

Gotta like a cleaning service who does the linens ... hope you we're pleased with their work. I don't know about you but lunch out and a movie while somebody is cleaning my house sounds like a pretty good deal to me!

I heard briefly this am about fires in Northern Ca, didn't catch exactly where, but sounds like quite a few homes we're hit, YIKES ... its starting early.

Paula, just letting you know that I'm thinking of you and your family. I hope that things are moving along in the right direction for Ed's treatment.

So my brother called this afternoon, wondering if I needed a walking partner. Always knew my big bro was a kind man, and its more apparent all the time. Although I really didn't feel like it this afternoon, I knew it would be good for me to get a little exercise and hey he was offering to go with. So we did 5 miles at a slow pace, came home and had my favorite day after chemo dinner of, you guess it, Cream of Wheat!!! I'm thinking that after tomorrow the crummy tummy's will be nothing more than a memory.

I saw my buddy Steph at work today, he recently had a C/T scan to see if his chemo is halting the growth of his tumors, he will be seeing the doc tomorrow for results. He could use a few positive vibes sent his way for some encouraging news.

Time to do a little bookwork which is not half as much fun as chatting here!

A good night to all the Jewels, Carol

Determined1 · June 2008

Hey Ladies. Not sure how far I'll get tonight, but the site was down earlier when I really had time to post, so let's see what I can do with a quickie.

Dd received the Excellence in American Literature Award at her high school tonight. I was proud. And to top it off, her SOL (our standardized tests in Virginia) for writing arrived today and she got a perfect score! I was impressed, but she just shrugged it off saying the SOL's are easy so everyone can pass and get out of high school. I dunno, but I've never had a kid score perfectly on those before, so I was still proud.

Our dog had her checkup today and she needs to lose one pound (if I could be so lucky) and must have her teeth cleaned. The vet has been talking about it for at least 3 years, so I knew it was coming (we're bad parents and don't brush her teeth). Unfortunately, she'll be anesthetized, so I'm all a twitter worrying about her. This appointment isn't till July 14, so I'm sure you'll be really tired of me whining about it by then...

Jenn-I'm so happy you got some color in your hair!!! I cannot wait till I get mine. Like you, my new hair is mostly white (well, you said you were salt-n-pepa), and dd told me that I can go topless as soon as I get it colored so I don't look so old. Are you going topless now? The weeds are winning in my yard, too. But I did manage to get some flowers planted around them, so I try to overlook the weeds and know they'll come out when I have the energy to take them out. LOL at your trip to the men's room! I experience lost in translation moments myself all the time-and those are generally in English!

Carol-WOOO HOOO!!!! Way to go out in Spidey style! Pretty soon it'll be Sunday and you'll be downing that last pill and it's OVER. Glad you're still smiling. (Oh, and Marty Feldman...honestly.) Hope the stim goes swimmingly tomorrow. I'll be thinking of ya.

Sherry-Don't worry about going back thru the thread. Just pick up from here. I'm doing Tamoxifen, too. I just started on Tuesday. I haven't noticed that it makes me sleepy, yet, but I've only taken 2 pills so far. As a fellow nipple blisterer, I can totally relate to your pain. Keep it lubricated with whatever salve your rad onc recommends. It will help. I must've lotioned myself 6x a day during rads and then cut back to 4x a day for the 2 weeks afterwards. I'm coming up on 5 weeks out now and I'm still lubing 2x a day. Drinking lots of water and exercise (which I see you're doing) also helps. Hang in there.

Boy, I know the looks, Julie. Sometimes they are hard to take, aren't they? I think meltdowns are totally justified. This has been a long, difficult journey for all of us. If you need some space, I say take it.

I can't tell if the Tamox is adding to my sweats, either, Tina. I've been taking it in the morning with my vitamin as I'm not sure I'd be as vigilant with a nighttime med. I'm only taking a multiple vitamin. Should I be looking at other supplements? I'm trying to get an appointment with my gyn soon to get a full on exam so we can establish a baseline on me before the Tamox takes a firm grip. He's totally into alternative tx, so maybe he can help me with supplements. (Just thinking about him makes me excited to see him-I've been with him for almost 30 years and love him to pieces and pieces.) (Oh, I'm not excited about the exam, but we try to talk through that...)

Okay, Carol, I'm loving your dh. Although you are TOTALLY whakko 24/7.

Hey LWDana, how ya doin?

Can't wait to see the pix, KathyL (but don't let that add any stress, okay?). Baseline on the bone density sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe I'll bring it up at my gyn visit.

WOOOHOOO SISKimberly gets the drains out tomorrow!!!!! Good luck! (How'd the cleaning people do?)

Good Gawd, Kathy, it looks like you're strangling your dove!!!! (LOVE the pics, thanks for taking the time to figure it out.)

Ah, Cream of Wheat, things are aligned in the universe again...

Till tomorrow, Jewels.

D1

joteach · June 2008

Good evening Jewels,

Well, we had some relief today from the heat - it was in the 80's with lower humidity. I actually made it to work!

Today was also my simulation (definitely not stimulation, Carol!) for the boosts. I felt like the whiteboard in my classroom! So now I only have 2 more regular tx and 5 boosts. The time has actually gone pretty fast.

Kathy - I love the pics! You look so cute with the dove.

Kimberly - hope you get some good sleep soon and those drains come out and never return.

Dana - Please know I am praying for you. Thanks for all your prayers. Hope you are well.

Joan

kris60 · June 2008

quickie, off to see the pediatric endo this morning (Lauren's diabetes Dr.) 4 to go!!!!!!!!!! getting the tingles in my toes, no problems keeping a hold of things so far I'll be right with you in a month D1, 5 years of Tamoxifin..*sighs*

time to boogie.......... take care and FUBC!!!!!!!!!

PAlady · June 2008

Hello Jewels,

Can't believe it has been almost 2 weeks since I have been on here. Where the hell does the time go? I had my petscan last Thursday and it was uneventful. Called in for my results on Tuesday and it was all clear!!! I go back to the onc in next Wednesday so I guess that is when I will start on the tamox. I am sure he will blame my leg pains on something else - but I know it is from the taxotere. I also set up all of my appointments with drs. and dentists, etc. that I have been putting off.

Ex-bil was diagnosed with a stage 4 cancer. I have been trying to help him navigate a bit. They are going to be very aggressive as he is young. They do not have any protocol set for this type of cancer as it is rare to begin with and usually not seen except in 60 or 70 year olds. He is set to see a local onc on Friday to get things going.

I have been having wayward eyelashes growing in. Very annoying as they keep scratching my eyes! I keep hoping they will straighten out as they get a bit longer.

LJ - Congrats on your surgery being done - I hope your path came back good as well.

Paula - I have been keeping you and yours in my thoughts and prayers. My brother had anaplastic astrocytoma ( I know it is different from what your dh has) but he was diagnosed at 25 and the drs gave him 6 months and told us to call hospice. He went to Pittsburgh and had the gamma knife done (which was pretty unknown at the time) He lived for 10 more years! Sounds like you both have the right attitude and so glad you have so much support.

D1 - Funny how all of our hair is coming in different. Even though I have highlighted my hair for years, I know there is no way my hair was ever this dark! I am chomping at the bit to be done with these dumb scarves - but just can't do it yet. I started putting some Sun-In in it yesterday and sat at the pool. I think it has started to lighten it already. I am hoping I will feel a little more feminine when it is closer to my pre-cancer color. I really don't want to pay to have it done yet as there is so little there and I haven't been able to score the freebies like you! I have had very little hair under my arms, but the hair "down there" is coming in just fine. I had laser hair removal done about 6 years ago for my whole bikini area. Seems chemo undid that some how as I had to shave it yesterday. Grrrr.

Tina - So how are the se's from the tamox so far? Are you all healed up from your exchange now? I'll dig out my recipe and pm it to you.

Maz - There are quite a few women in my bc support group who take the arimidex and have no side effects. You gotta think positive and remember you can always quit taking it if need be. Hope your rads are going ok.

Julie - glad you had so much fun with your sis. How long do you have to keep going for fill-ups?

Carol - I don't know how you find the time for all of your training especially on top of working and staying up on this thread!

Well I am going to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather while we have it. I am still a few pages back, but will catch up today and tomorrow.

Enjoy your day, ladies!

SISKimberly · June 2008

Afternoon ladies,
Well, there was a snafu with the cleaning service, so had to reschedule for next Tuesday. Oh well, another chance to take myself out to a movie since Greg can’t take time off next week.

The movie yesty, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, was not as good as the first two in my opinion, but I certainly see the draw for the younger audiences getting them all set for a new Indy. It wasn’t a bad movie; it just didn’t have the same allure as the first two for me.

So, I’m taking my sponge bath getting ready this morning and notice that some little creature had walked down my right side and just taken a bite every few steps or so all the way down. Doesn’t itch, just raised bumps all in a line. No squished bug in the bed, so he definitely had his fill and left without so much as a thank you. Man, I hope he doesn’t invite his friends over tonight.

Anyway, Greg and I went out to breakfast this morning at one of our favorite places in Sacramento. While sitting at a window table enjoying the beautiful morning, an older balding guy with neatly trimmed graying hair, a t-shirt and shorts went riding by on a red beachcomber with a basket in the front…made me smile.

After breakfast, it was off to the ps to get the tubes removed. What a relief!!!!! I still have restrictions as far as lifting and pulling ect… but I can sleep on my side and take a shower now. Yippee!!!!

Kathy- Good job on posting the pics. Love the In Honor of the Jewels luminaria, and despite that look of “What have I gotten myself into holding this bird” on your face, you’re lookin’ good!!!

Carol- OK, we’ll uncork it while you’re here…that means we will have to drink two bottles though, since you technically would have gotten two glasses each out of the one sent. Oh, Darn.

And Darn again that your rads doc isn’t a babydoc, but a gal…yep, kind of ruins the whole stimulation sexual enuendo I was going for.

Yeah, haven’t been much of a news buff lately, but smelled the smoke this morning as the wind must have blown it our way. This afternoon, not a scent of smoke to be smelled.

Hooray for your older Bro getting you up and out. Bet that felt good to walk and talk. And a big WhooHoo for the last time Cream of Wheat will be your dinner due to a crummy se tummy!!!!

I’m sending out a rainbow assortment of positive energy vibes Steph’s way. When you see him again, give him a great big hug from me and tell him you’re wrapping him up in lots of good wishes from the Jewels.

D1- Congrats to your dd on her Excellence in American Lit Award and for scoring a perfect score on her standardized writing test. I do understand her response, however. It is written so that any kid who has done the preparation through K-12 can pass. Unfortunately, not every child does do the preparation - classwork and homework and studying ect…

One pound on your little pup is equal to at least 10 on us…poor thing is going to feel deprived when you cut back the treats and food. I can just hear the news being told to the other pups in the neighborhood, “On top of making me workout and starve, she’s going to put me under and brush my teeth!”

Joan – LOL on feeling like your classroom whiteboard…not that I’m laughing at any discomfort you might have had…just imagining your techs placing the mark(s) and then eyeing them and saying, “Nope that isn’t right,” and erasing them to start again…apparently several times.

Kris- WhooHoo only 4 more to go. Hope your dd’s appt. went well. Good to hear from you. You sound good!

Norma- HI!!! WhooHoo on a clear PET!!! And, I say, heck, while you’re in the groove of seeing docs, you might as well get all those appt. you’ve been putting off taken care of now.

I’m sorry to hear about your ex bil’s Stage 4 diagnosis. I hope his onc finds a treatment plan that works for him. I hate that his cancer is rare and found in someone so young.

My neighbor pointed out that I’m getting my eye brows back. I was standing outside chatting, so I must have been hit just right by the sunlight. No eyelashes yet, and poking you in the eye when they come in doesn’t sound fun at all. The nether region hair is starting to come in very slowly and dark, but my leg hair has just come in all at once. It’s all pretty fine and light, so I’m not sure I’m ready to shave yet as I know once I start, it will come in thicker and darker.

Well, ending on a hairy note isn't as weird as ending on my peeing habits, eh D1?

Hope you are all enjoying a beautiful day.

SIS Kimberly

Jenn51 · June 2008

Hello JJs,

We are on our 2^nd day without rain. It's a record. But tomorrow they are back again, heavy with potentially dangerous straight line winds. Oh Boy!

I need to ask for prayers. My bff, the 16-yr. survivor, has a 27-yo son that did something stupid Mon. night. He mixed & took too many drugs and OD'ed. He is in a drug-induced coma & they can't say if he is brain dead or not. They had to lower his body temp to help save his organs & can't run a brain scan until they bring his temp back up. They tried that today & his bp kept dropping so they had to slow down the warming. So the scan which should have been run this AM won't be done until sometime tomorrow. In the mean time she just sits & waits. Yes, he was an idiot for doing the drugs, but that doesn't stop a mom from loving her son. And it doesn't stop me from loving him either. Please pray for God's Will to be done and that His Will won't force Melissa into the decision of whether on not to pull the plug.

Sherry, hang in there. I've been thru my share of stress & depression. It will end and these gals here were a great big help. Let me speak from experience, don't try to catch up on all you missed. While you're doing that you'll be getting behind on the new stuff.

I'm sorry to hear you are blistered. Sorry for you & worried for me. Today was rad #9 out of 33. I've been pretty good with my preventative skin care but I don't want to think about being burnt there. I'll remember your idea with the t-shirts & use it if I have to.

I was wondering where the estrogen would come from since I don't have ovaries any more. If it's made in fat cells I'm a goner.

Julie, I'm sorry the tears found you. I know what you mean by "the look" but for some strange reason it's not bothering me. Usually I'm very sensitive to being different or being looked at for any reason. Maybe it's this badge of courage thing. I have referred to my head as this ever since I lost my hair.

Carol, I loved the new picture. You two sure look happy. I'm glad your weepies have gone. I think you sent them to me. My dil sent a copy of the letter Joey's 4K kindergarten teachers wrote to the kids. It was a tear jerker & made me start missing that little guy like crazy. And with the emotions over my bff's son, I'm a little sniffly. I had to call all 3 of my ds to tell them I loved them yesterday.

OK, I have to ask, what is it about Tamox pill that has everyone up in arms? Am I missing something? It is really that hard to swallow or are you speaking metaphorically? I guess I haven't paid much attention to this drug because I won't start it until Jan. & it seemed like I had enough to pay attention to now.

Kimberly, You should write professionally. I can see your ducklings as clearly as if I was there with you. Thanks for sharing.

Kathy, Great pix. The luminaries almost made me cry again. I don't think I could have held the dove. I'm not good with birds, at least ones that flap. Once at Disney I was in an outdoor café. I was much skinnier then & was wearing a tank top. The birds were everywhere & I was freaking. But when one landed on the back of my chair & brushed my back with his wing it was all over. I jumped, screamed & ran out to the main walkway before I knew what I was doing. Can you say embarrassed? My ex-dh was shocked to say the least & finally said to all of the people staring at me "You should see what she does when she sees a mouse." Not one of my finer moments.

D1, Congrats to dd. I'd say a perfect score in anything is something to be proud of.

I'll worry with you about doggie's dental appt. How old is she? Talk about being bad, we had a Spitz that had to have 14 teeth pulled because we didn't brush. But did that stop him from eating hard food or chewing rawhides - no way. I figured he'd be eating baby food the rest of his life.

Yes, I'm topless all the time now. Great weather for it. I'm going to get some help with my weeds. Ds is on vaca next week & owes us some money. Dh arranged for him to come work some of the debt off & pulling weeds in on the list. I may get something pink planted this year yet.

I better go see where we are going for dinner tonight. Ya know I'm ready to start cooking again. Can't believe I'm saying it but I'm fast-fooded out.

Determined1 · June 2008

Hey Ladies. It seemed like I was running around all day, but I know that's not true. I did get my toenail polish changed and my gal seems to think my fingernails will be ready for a manicure the next time I stop in the shop. I guess I'll take her up on it, even tho a couple of them are still white about halfway down the nail. It won't hurt to have the cuticles wrangled under control and to have some of the ridges smoothed a little.

Also called my mom to convince her to attend her family reunion over the 4^th of July. My cousin is hosting this time and it's only 2 hours away from where I live! I have no excuse. So my one sis and her family are arriving here on July 1 to do some visiting and sightseeing, then our families will drive to the reunion site in a caravan. My other sis is spending more time in the southern part of the state with her dh and dd to do some sightseeing and will meet us at the reunion site. I'm hoping my mom chooses to tag along with them (they're coming from the same part of the world and have room in their car-only 1 kid). It would be fab if we can all get together as one of my bil's is a photographer and will take a family photo. Since my kids are starting to drift off with the wind, I'm not sure there will ever be another opportunity for a photo like that. If my mom decides not to come, then my sisters and our families will take the pic w/o her. It would be a shame, but I'll still treasure it. Anyway, that call took up a lot of time.

So, what's up here?

Joan, you're getting to the end of rads! Hooray! You'll be surprised at how quickly you forget all about the hassle of driving in for tx everyday. Hang in there.

Wow, Kris, only 4 more!!! Yay for you! So far nothing new on the Tamox, unless I can blame it for the continuous hot flashes...

More good news from PALady! A clean PET-WOOOHOOO! It's funny you'd mention laser hair removal to the bikini area. I had that done, too, and am noticing more hair coming back after chemo. I wonder if we could go in and buy a "mini" package to touch things up? And how long do we wait till we're sure nothing more is coming in? It's so expensive to have that done, but I was a new woman once I did it.

SISKimberly-Hope the cleaning snafu isn't a bad sign. I hate rescheduling that stuff. Although another movie isn't a bad thing. And the drains are out!!!!! Yippee skippee!! Enjoy a nice shower and a good night's sleep on your side. You deserve it.

My kids keep asking me why I'm toting this candle around with me today. Well, I've been enjoying an aroma therapy candle from my SP this afternoon and can't make myself blow it out, so I move it with me when I move. The girls think I'm crazy, but I proved that long ago so I don't know what they're talking about! Thanks SP!

Off to clean the green beans for dinner.

D1

Determined1 · June 2008

Jenn, I see you posted while I was over in Word. I just want to let you know that your friend's son is in my thoughts. Unfortunately, kids do stupid things (my college girl has certainly done her share), and I hope this event turns out okay.

Oh, and I think the Tamox just represents such a long term commitment to se's when we're all SO OVER the whole se scene, that it makes it tough to get started taking the drug. I'm happy to report that after the first pill, I haven't had any trouble getting it down. And even though I seem to be in a constant state of hot flash since yesterday afternoon, I'm thinking it's probably too early to blame that on the Tamox. Talk to me tomorrow--if this keeps up, I WILL be blaming the Tamox!

My baby is 9 years old and we have never brushed her teeth. The vet seems to think if we go ahead and do the cleaning now, we'll avoid extractions. And SIS Kim, you're right, she is talking trash about us all over the neighborhood--but she has been for years since we use a watermelon scented baby shampoo to bathe her. It gives her a decidedly un-doggy smell that surely embarrasses her in front of her canine companions.

Dh is home. G2G.

D1

JulieK_11_30_07 · June 2008

Hi Jewels - I had a pretty busy day yesterday. I spent several hours vacuuming the pool - it was much better by this morning. When I went back out today to finish it up, our pump started making some funky noise! It almost sounds like something got in there (a bb for example) and is rumbling around. Sooo, I had to turn it off until dh gets home and can take some things apart to check it out. I was not pleased, as I had planned to finish it up today so it would be ready for the weekend.

I had a fun night last night. A friend of mine from school called and invited me to a book club meeting at her house. They started it when I was out on medical leave this spring and she wanted me to consider joining it with them. We started at 7:00 with some eats and drinks (she made a fabulous banana rum punch!!), discussed the book for about an hour (I obviously hadn't read it, but did read a quick overview of it yesterday online), then just chatted for a while. We were all there until after 10:00 - it was such a nice night to get out with the girls and just have a good time.

Tina - hope you get a break from the rain. The last few days here have been hot and sunny! Can't wait to hear what your ds#1 says about his trip. I'm sure he wasn't expecting to have to deal with snow in June!!

Kathy - glad the dd's finale went well - I'm sure it was a proud parent moment. Love the pics from your Relay event - glad Photobucket cooperated for you.

Carol - I'm sure you were glad to have that last Cream of Wheat meal! Woooohooooo!! Hope your tummy's okay today. I'm sending some special extra positive vibes for Steph!! Give him a big hug from all the Jewels. I sure hope he gets some good news.

D1 - CONGRATS to dd on her award and for scoring a perfect on her writing!!! WOW! That's impressive!

Joan - good to hear that you're getting closer to being done!!!!

Kris - hope your dd's appt went well today.

Norma - Welcome back!!! YAY - so glad to hear your PET scan was clear! So sorry to hear about your bil - I hope his drs come up with a tx plan that will work for him. Hope you've been enjoying yourself when you have the time.

Kimberly - BUMMER on the cleaning service having to reschedule. At least you go to have a day out with your sweetie. I agree on the new Indy movie - my boys loved it, but I just thought it was okay. Woooohooooo on getting the drains out! I'm sure you feel like a new woman!! My eyebrows and eyelashes are both coming back in --- my friends all noticed last night and got so excited for me - it was funny.

Well, I'm going to try to get some work done tonight. I'm heading over to school tomorrow morning before my fill --- I'm thinking it will be my last one!!

Hope all of the Jewels have a great night!!

Julie

JulieK_11_30_07 · June 2008

Jenn and D1's posts popped up as soon as I posted.

Jenn -- your friend's son is in my thoughts and prayers. I hope for the best for them.

I'm waiting for my hair to get a little longer before I start going topless. It's still a little too "GI Jane" for my son to be able to deal with it.

D1 - hope the family reunion plans all turn out okay. I've been wanting to put something together for our family, but haven't had the time lately to think about it. Maybe my sister and I can get working on it and get something set for next summer. Sounds like your SP picked a good scent for you --- what is it? I'm always looking for good new candle scents to try. I seem to always get the same ones.

Okay -- now I think I'm caught up. Everyone have a great night!

Julie

Jan 2008--Ain't it Great?

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