Hi all.  Don't have time to read posts right now, but want you to know I'm still around.  Our computer is not working right, so I'm at the library right now using theirs.  So much faster, but my daughter is in a class and I have to pick her up soon.  Hope everyone is doing really well.  I have a little hair coming. 

Kate

{{Kate}}  Sorry about your puter   Nothing worse than that for most people.  We know otherwise now, but...hindsight....good luck getting it fixed!

The rest of you!  It's RAINING!  YEAH! I won't have to water this weekend!  Thank you Lord!  Hate lugging those hoses around.  150 foot of 3/4 inch hose is NOT my idear of a fun time in this heat wave we've been enjoying (NOT) again!  Where's our MICHIGAN WEATHER?

 Have a great weekend all!

Hello all!  So good to read all the posts and hear so many are feeling so great and "normal".

Suz, YES.....It was finally my week for Vegas!!  We flew out on the 23rd and got back to MI at 5:00am Saturday (yesterday)!  It was so much fun and exactly what I needed!  We had many. many laughing moments..some to the point of tears and milk shooting out noses!!!  I also came back with enough money to pay off my September Disney World trip!!!  Yeah!!  My hair is really coming in good...very thick like before and I am not seeing any of the "chemo curl".  If my bangs were a little longer I could totally rock this hair!!  It has been so easy to care for...great to wash & go!!  I put a bit of manipulator in the top and am good to go!  It will be great for Disney too!

My skin is all healed up from rads but still feels a bit more dry than everywhere else.  I see the rad onco. on Tuesday for my 1 month check up.  I will also see the medical onco and the breast surgeon in July as well!

I hope everyone is having a great summer and feeling great!  I would still love to meet everyone some day.....maybe we can still work that out!  Take care all and I will check in soon!  Lori

My dear friends, I hear Kimmie from August 07 thread is not doing well and is in hospice to make her comfortable. Things look bad. I have lit a candle for her and family under a group name kimmi, they need our thoughts and prayers. If the link doesn't take you there just type kimmi under group search.

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=kimmi.

Much love and hugs to you all, Suz

 I can't see the pic ;(  Hate when that happens!  Why can't I see?  And what's the way to download to pics post, I lost it and CRS!

We've been without power for a day, and it's so hard to not have lights, fans, A/C and such!  Thank heavens, I had gas hot water, so I could shower and offer the neighbor buckets of water for their comodes!  They have to upgrade their service panel now @$1000 or so!  UGH!  Glad it's not us, but dang.....when it rains it drains the wallet too!

Will keep a prayers in my heart for kimmie and her family, thank you for the update Suz.

I still want to see your pic, so....let's have it!  

Hope all are doing better each day!  Miss you all!

  Happy July 4th to all my American Buddies!

Thoughts and prayers to Kim and her family

Hello Friends,

Hope your all doing well. It looks like summer has finally arrived here locally (summer = more than two sunny days linked together)

Dh and I (on the backseat) have been doing a bit of motorcycling locally, mostly just a couple of hours at a time (my poor behind cant take too much more than that) Its been nice as it gets us out and about without spending a fortune on gas! I mean really.. $1.50 a litre (we wont discuss the boat using 30 gallons an hour) Anyway its adding a little extra fun to a year that, like all of you know has been difficult and trying.

My camping pics are a wash as the shutter wasnt working properly. I will post a few anyway just for the fun of it..

.

Me kicking back on our beach.. the tent was for my early evening naps while the guys cooked dinner. We actually slept in the cuddy cabin of our boat as the beach was way too noisy in the morning. Ha ha ha, I really did nap while they cooked dinner. Gotta love it!

This was our view all day and that itty bitty white boat with the bit of red & blue is ours. We used an inflatable dingy to get back & forth to the beach. It looks really small in the pic, but sleeps two quite comfortably. 

Here I am on Sunday with the new toy down at a local lake.

Hope everyone is getting a bit of fun in the sun happening, think of you ladies all the time and look forward to maybe some sort of a get together in the future.

Much love and big hugs..... time for a quick check in you silent ones   Suz

Hello all!  Hope everyone is well and enjoying their summer!

WishIwere...I will forgive the forgetfulness as I'm right there with you!  You know the Dr.s appointment (rad. onco.) I mentioned I had last week...well I went on Tuesday and the appointment was for Wednesday!  DUH!!!  Anyway, I had to reschedule, so it's this Friday...(repeat to self)..it's this Friday!! LOL  Anyway, Yes I have been done since May 29th and then went to Vegas!  I'm sure it's all coming back to you now!

Suz, so sorry to hear about Kimmie!  Her family is in my thoughts and prayers as well!!

So, about Vegas...It wasn't really so much that I won..I just won enough to not spend all the money I took TO spend.  I came back with more than half of what I took to play with and still had ate great meals and gambled all I wanted so I consider that a "winning" trip.

Suz, the camping photos look so fun!  We STILL have not made it out yet!  Seem's we have to cancel our ressies for one reason or the other.  Right now we are planning on going next Thursday (17th) thru Sunday...just to a local county park...close to home but far enough away to forget about the chores!!  We had to stay fairly close as I see the medical onco. on Friday, the 18th!  Then I see the surgeon on the 22nd.  I'll find out then more about all the follow up stuff...frequency of mamm's and whatever else they want to recommend!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!  Talk soon, Lori

Hey ladies. Just got caught up. I'm bummed out to read about Kimmie, eventhough I didn't know her. I read a few of the postings on the Aug 07 page and it sounds like she'd had cancer in the past. I was very upbeat in dealing with the cancer this first time around-- yeah, chemo sucked big-time, but from the minute I got the report back from my surgery that said the cancer hadn't spread, I just felt like "Ok. It's gone. Just do the chemo and you'll be ok."-- but I don't think I could go through it again with the same positive attitude. I don't admit it to anyone at home, but it scares the hell out of me to think it might come back. I just want to live in denial that it could happen to me because it terrifies me to think about the alternative. Know what I mean?

But on a lighter note, I'm doing very well. I finally went wigless to work this week. My hair is still too short in the front, but it's been hot and humid lately, and with the hot flashes I get from the damned Tamoxifen, I've been roasting. All my co-workers have been very supportive and kind, telling me it looks great, and I suppose it does just look like a really, really, really short haircut. Regardless of how it looks, it feels so much better.

Suz, I love your pictures. It looks like the weather cooperated, and what a peaceful looking spot. Sounds like you've been getting some great relaxation in. Good for you.

Lori, sounds like your Vegas trip was a success. Don't suppose you'll be sharing any pictures? Or was it one of those "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" trips?

Joy, still keeping you in my thoughts. How are things going so far? How far along are you, tx-wise? 

Hubby just came home. Gotta go make his dinner. Big hugs to everyone. Love you ladies,

Sal

Hi Ladies,

 I can't believe a month has gone by since my last post!!!!   I have been unbelievably busy and also took a week of vacation with my mom down to New Mexico - it was nice to get away.  I was feeling very frustrated with how long it was taking dh to get his stuff organized and get here, but he has had to deal with his dad's ailing health and a host of other obligations, so it has been a test of patience.  Anyway, he finally gave me a date and I bought his ticket today, he will be here in around 3 weeks.  Work has been very very busy and with trying to catch up from 8 months lost here at home, other than just doing the bare minimum to keep things liveable, I am insanely busy. 

I am glad to hear everyone is doing well and getting on with life - after all, that's what we've fought for, isn't it?  Wishiwere - I think sometimes I just keep myself ridiculously busy so I don't have time for dark thoughts....It is a demon I'm sure we all have to fight sometimes. 

Sal, I'm sorry your pains are bothering you again - I can totally understand how you feel about the 20 years + thing.  My hands are worse and I was still feeling weak, but one good thing about the vacation is that I was physically quite active, hauling around luggage for both me and my mom, packing stuff in and out of the car, pushing her in a wheelchair in the airport while pulling a cart full of luggage....I actually enjoyed the physical challenge and it made me feel better and stronger.  I am just thankful that it's my hands and not my knees or something...

Suz, you look great and are certainly back in the saddle with style, on your new rig.  Very nice!  Looks like your beach trip was lovely, what with your personal napping tent - I LOVE IT, hehehe!!!!

Lori, glad to hear the trip to Vegas went well - it is such a relief to be able to kick back and celebrate, isn't it?

 Cindy - I, too, would love to see a pic of the fro!  Mine is coming in fairly curly also.  I actually went commando on the vacation with Mom as it is so hot down there I just couldn't bring myself to put a wig on.  In fact, I forced myself to do it by leaving my wigs at home, so I had no choice, lol.  I don't really like my hair so short but it is growing and soon will be something I can like. Will have to change the pic when I have time.

Joy - I hope you are hanging in there.  I think it is pretty normal to have more nausea with AC than T, and the 5 days is pretty much bang on to what I experienced.  We are counting down with you to when you are finished with treatments, and hoping and praying that this is killing those cancer cells DEAD!   FUBC!!!!!

 Amy, Kate, Kimbly, Jeannie, a shout out to all of you with hopes that you are enjoying the summer!  Hope everyone enjoyed their July 1st and 4th long weekends!

 Love and hugs to all

Laura 

Congrats on all of you who have braved the outside world with your commando heads!  I am very close to doing that but haven't yet.  Wearing the wig when it is so freakin' muggy out is awful.  I need to put some color on my hair again though, the top is filling in nicely finally but I have alot of gray.  Oh well at least I have hair.  Like you, Laurita, I feel as if I have a very short haircut but not exaclty what I want! 

Joy, hang in there.  I know it is hard to keep spirits up when you are not feeling well but hang in!  

We finally got the pluming fixed at our cottage and my husband has been out there just cleaning up a bit outside etc. We are lucky in that our neighbour had been cutting our lawn knowing we were so caught up here we couldnt get over as often as we like. My kids are at that age though where they think the cottage boring!  No computer, no cable etc.. how boring!  boo hoo.. Nice thing is the cottage is only a 45-50 minute drive from here on the Canadian side.  

I have a muga-scan and a followup mammo for my good side on tuesday, of course I am nervous about this.  

I was trying to explain to a friend last night how I was feeling.  Physically I am great.  I mean the expander is part of me for now and I mostly don't even feel it there, my hair is coming back, my energy level is good etc.. .BUT now that the chemo is done, the surgery is mostly done everyone else seems to move on but to me it's still with me kwim??? I dealt with it all so practically and now at times I feel as if I could just fall apart it is all so overwhelming.  I feel like I did before the diagnosis (actually better because i stepped up the exercise ) but I am not like I was before because I have had cancer.. I guess I am not making sense.  *sigh* but thanks for letting me ramble anyway. LOL  

Oh well kid bugging me for food so off I go.. enjoy your day ladies! 

Laurita, good to hear from you!  I thought perhaps he had come home and thats why we hadn't heard, but glad you finally have a date to look forward to!  Can't imagine the months you've waited.  A week is too long for dh to be gone!

{{{{JOY}}}}  Hon, so wishiwere closer to come and stave off some of that 'low' feeling.  As for the recurrance....don't go there!  I know it's hard, but work on the current treatment and try to stay away from that fear.  You can only work on one thing at a time and right now, prayers and only the best of thoughts are coming your way, sweetie! So sorry you are still going through that A/C!  I think this treatment is going to be the one to beat this b@sturd back to his below ground cavern!  Just keep that pretty image of him being beaten back down and get 'er done dear!  We're here when you need, just give a holler, K? Been thinking about you a lot!

Kimbly....that 'after chemo' let down is powerful.  Set you mind in that zone that you've beat a demon and come out strong!  It will get better, I promise.  I still have down days, for me I think it's lack of hormones.  Thankfully I don't have anyone home or nearby most of those days, so I can avoid putting others eyes out! Keep on getting stronger.....I know you can do it!

Everyone else!  Tie yourselves down if you come into michigan!  Holy moly, it's windy!  Things are flying and it's not the birds!  The other day, the birds and I were looking like that that witch on wizard of oz?  Peddling fast and getting no where!  I think we were both laughing at each other on the trail!

Joy, Good luck with your tx tomorrow. Your in my thoughts and prayers.

Much love, hugs to all, Suz

Dh is on the road to much to enjoy life   I hate doing things alone! But....dd and I have taken up a cool friendship.  We ususally go to local pub on monday afternoons when it's empty and play pool, order pizza and share a pitcher.  Then dh and her bf join us.  That's been fun.  Other than that, doing as you say, eating better (but losing weight anyway   Exercising (till this last uh....down there bx) and hoping to get a good bunch of veggies out of the garden I've been nursing along!  Only problem there is it's been nearly 90 and NOTHING likes this heat! UGH!  But....hauling the hoses out and water cans for the gardnes and weeding is getting my ROM back in the surgical arm!

JOY!?  Please let us know how you doing?  It's been too long!

Laura?  Did you dh get home yet?  Has it been 3 weeks yet?

Lori? Kate? Suz?  ANYONE out there?  OR living a great LIfe instead I hope!  Beautiful summer despite the heat!