SammieKay

Thanks Tina and WB36 for your responses.  Austin sounds good.  My son lives near Bastrop.  I know someone on the Feb Chemo Cruisers went to NY for the one step procedure.  Wish I could  but not so lucky.  I am  going to continue to research and hope I can find a Community Health Systems hospital near a plastic surgeon that can do the procedure.  Wish I could go to MD for the procedure.  I use an onc. there and my insurance will pay for office visits, but because I am a nurse employed at CHS, they will reduce my benefits to 50% and tack on a huge deductible for out of network hospitals.  Really discouraging.  I would be better off to retire and have Medicare and a supplement.  Oh well, that is another story.  Thanks much for the information.  Sammie Kay

Well, I just lost a long post.  Darn it.  I knew I should copy and past as I go.

I don't know the answer about the ovary, Terry.  I don't think the bc mets to the ovaries but not sure.  Hopefully it is just a cyst.  Are you scheduled for a hysterectomy?  I thought they did the hyst on everyone that was beyond childbearing age.  Or where you planning more children. LOL.  Please let us know what yu find out.{{{{{{{{{Terry}}}}}}}}  Always something huh?

Catherine, what a nice thing to have a gym at home.  That is great.  Hey, maybe you and dh can enter some bodybuilding competitions. LOL.  You are such an inspiration.  I went to the gym today to check out some classes.  I think I will try BodyFlow.  It is a combo of TaiChi,Yoga and Pilates.  Supposed to be good for flexability and core strength.  I wanted to start BodyPump, but need to wait until I heal from revision of recon.  I am scheduled for that Dec.11.  I also need to have cataract surgery sometime soon.  Geeze I sound old. LOL

Melanie congrats on the clear scans.  That is great.  I found the cutest pig Christmas ornament.  I mailed it to Twink today.  Hope she gets a chuckle.  It has very fancy high heels on all 4 feet. And lots of feathers around the neck.  I hope she gets a chuckle out of that.  I know what you mean about sensible eating.  I want a jump start.  I had all veggies tonight at Furrs and I had pinto beans for protein.  It was quite good.  I am trying not to eat after 7 pm.

I am having problems with swelling on the top underside of my right arm.  I think it is lymphedema, but not sure.  I am scheduled to see the local onc and will see what he thinks.  I was at MDA about 3 weeks ago and it wasn't bothering me then and the onc there didn't feel anything unusual.  Will keep you posted.

Leah, how is that foot?  That is so hard to heal.  Do take care.  I am so glad you will have a real Christmas Holiday this year.  What a treat.  Is the tech job market slow right now?  My daughter went to work for a hospital as a Project Manager.  She was contract, but they hired her full time.  I hope her job holds out.  She makes really good money.  She was laid off about 3 years ago from a software company based in London.  Then she didn't work for 2 years and applied for a few non tech jobs.  The pay was quite a bit less.  She was happy to learn the hospital business. They were implementing Meditech.  Her husband is a RN and figured they could move if they decided to and he could go to nursing and she could go into the IT Dept if she knew hospital IT "stuff".  As you can see I am techno challenged.  Don't even know the correct terminology.  Please excuse my ignorance. LOL.

Well need to go to bed.  Gotta work tomorrow.  Love and hugs to all.  Sammie Kay

Well, I can't believe it has been a week since the reunion.  I was so tired when I got home.  We ran around the whole weekend.  Had a BLAST!!!  It was awesome.  Two women who were bridesmaids in my wedding came from far, far away.  It was so much fun.  Just like moving back in time.  We visited our old Elementary School and reminished about our teachers and classes from grades 1 to 6.  We also went through our old Jr.High and High School.  Our class had 84 students.  We have lost 17 members and about 50 showed up, so quite a good turnout.

Leah, loved your pics of the kitchen redo.  Looks great.  Hope you foot is doing better.  If it's not one thing it is another.

Terry, are you "bootless" yet?  Hope you are doing well.  Enjoying the new found freedom.

Catherine, how is the wrist?  Not interfering with you walks with the pups?  I think about getting a treadmill, but I have a very poor history with exercise equipment.  Right now I have a "Hangups" inversion table.  I hurt my back on that one.  It was supposed to help, but didn't.  Then we have a Gazelle thingy and it hurts my back also.  So, I think my husband would balk if I talked about another piece of equipment.  Maybe I could sell those two on Ebay and then buy a treadmill.LOL.I really, really need to start exercising.  I have just gotten my back pain under control.  I had an epidural steroid injection last Wed. and it seems to have  helped.  Also started taking Aleve and that is helping too.  So maybe I will feel like getting out and walking.  You are a good role model.

Caryn, so good to hear from you and Phyl.  Wondering about Marsha, Twink, Pat, Hillary and all our group. 

I too was sad to hear about Tink.  I hope that turns out to be a temporary situation with the need for oxygen.

Melanie, hope your scans were clean.  Sounds like you are staying busy with all your travel.  I ordered the Smith "Fat Buster's Diet" book.  I tried a little of it and got really, really gassy.  Ugh!  I am insulin resistant also, so not sure I sure eat so many carbs.  Although, the fiber should cut the carbs way down.l  I will read up in the book and see what I find.  I would love to lose 18 lbs.  I would be about where I need to be with that kind of weight loss.  Right before BC I had lost about 12 lbs using thyroid medicine.  I went to a Wellness Doc and my Internist was really alarmed because she didn't find me to need thyroid and told me it could put me in atrial fibrillation and cause lose of calcium.  I was also on topical hormones.  Then along came BC and I quit all of that stuff.  I gained about 10 lbs after I quit the thyroid and then while on Decadron with chemo, I gained another 10 lbs. 

Well, I better get busy.  I want to be free by the time the Texas Longhorns start playing today.  I am a big-time "football junky".  I LOVE football,

One of these days, I will learn how to upload pics from my camera and put some of my remodel pics and reunion pics on this board.l

Hugs and warm thoughts to all my friends here.  Hope to hear how Twink and Pat are doing/  Somehow I don't feel "no news is good news" in this situation.  I have gnawing anxiety about you two girls.  Hope to get an update on you guys.  Love , Sammie Kay

Congratulations Alyson.  What a joy those grandchildren are.  How great you will be able to stay home and enjoy little Beatrix,  Give my best wishes to your DD and SIL.  Pass on congrats to your DH.   Yes indeed, she will wrap both of you around those beautiful little fingers.  Enjoy!

I am getting ready for my 50th class reunion.  Lordy, where did the years go?  I am really looking forward to seeing classmates I haven't seen in several years.  It is in the Rio Grande Valley on the border between Texas and Mexico.  Plenty of things planned.  I will go down on Friday morning and return home on Sunday.

Hope Twyla and Pat are fairing well.  Kinda worried about Twink since we haven't heard much from you.  Sure hope there isn't something wrong.

Melanie, did you get to visit with Twyla?  How is she?  Please, please, someone let us know.  I am a worry-wart.

Love and warm thoughts to all, Sammie Kay

Hi all,

Great to hear from Pat and Terry.

Pat, I think you are very wise to initiate the process for SSDI.  That is a long process.  Hope yu get good news about the shrinkage of the tumor.  Do take care and get plenty of rest.((((((Pat)))))

Well, Miss Terry, good luck with your foot surgery.  I know you will enjoy the time away from work.  What a blessing, sort of.,  Bunion surgery is a tough way to be off work LOL.  Most of the patients I have recovered from bunion surgery did very well. They didn't have much pain because of the numbing medication used.  Plus they will send you home with pain pills.  Good luck (((((((((Terry))))))))))))))).

Hope everyone else is doing well and having a wonderful weekend. 

Twink, by the way, I found the email with your Dallas mailing address.  I immediately put it in my address book so I wouldn't lose it.  Hope yu are doing well.((((((((Twink))))))).

Love to all, Sammie Kay

Wow Catherine, what a beautiful sweater for your boy!  He looks very cozy in his sweater.

You do such beautiful work.  You should be proud. 

Terry, your kitchen sounds beautiful.  I know how much you will enjoy it,  I really enjoy my new rooms too.

Leah, sounds like you are getting a lot of living in.  Good for you.  Where is your condo?  Close by your home?  Don't work too hard.  But I know, you work hard and play hard. 

Hope this finds Twink and Pat feeling good these days.

I just wanted to post a note before I go to bed.  Have to work tomorrow and Saturday we leave for Las Vegas.  We will be there until Wednesday, Oct. 1.  Probably won't be posting during that time.

Hugs and best wishes to all .  Alyson, are you considering retirement?  Hope you are having good luck with the lymphedema treatment.  I  learned  the massage for draining the lymph fluid.  It really helped when I did it. But I found it something like doing exercises, which I don't do either.  I am such an undisciplined person.  My lymphedema is very mild and is only in the upper arm and trunk.  I am thinking when the PS works on my revision of recon, that he will do some work on that axilla and loosen up that tight tissue where the lymph node dissection was done.  It is really a sorry job.  They tacked the tissue to the chest wall and there is a big hole there when I raise my arm.  He said he didn't do it, but he would fix it.  We'll see.

Hillary, so glad all your tests were negative. Hooray!

Well gals, I will pull a slot machine for each of you.  Love to all, Sammie Kay

P.S.  Hope Melanie, Hillary, Carynn, Marsha, Terry, Twink, Pat, Phyl, Catherine, Leah, Lucky Mel W., are fairing well.  Oct.5 will be two years since my original diagnosis.  Doesn't seem possible.  My how time flies.

Hi all,

As you alll probably know by  now we missed Ike, the hurricane.  Thank God.

Our daughter Natalie lives in Seabrooke, which is right near Galveston and cannot find out if her new house is underwater or not.  They came to Victoria on Thursday afternoon.  She and her fiance and his three children are here.  Sure glad they got out.  They were under mandatory evacuation.  Don't believe they can go back for another 48 hours.  We are having a very nice time with them.  The children are very well behaved.  I know they are anxious to get back home.

Our daughter, Jennifer, who lives in Sugarland came here to Victoria also.  They are staying at her in-laws.

My two older daughters, Kathy and Tricia and their families, who live in North Houston stayed home.  They got some bad wind, but no damage to their homes. Of course, everyone is without power.  Lots of generators being purchased here, as Houston is out of them.

Well, I better go and visit with everyone. 

Love to all, Sammie Kay

Hillary, keeping you close in my mind as you go for the biopsy.  Twyla do you have a Dallas address yet?  I have something to send to you and will send it to Dallas.  let me know. PM

HiAlyson,

Glad you are checking in.  Sounds great starting a garden.  When will your son return from Europe?

We are eagerly watching the TV weather.  Some models show us getting a direct hit from Hurricane Ike.  Some say it will go either North or South of us.We are far enough away from the cost to not be hit by the storm surge.  Not so for LuckyMel, I think?  Is that right Mel?

My love and prayers to everyone. Sammie Kay 

Christine,

I finished chemo one year ago.  I was on 5Fu,Cytoxan and Adriamycin.  My cancer was lobular, 4.5cm.  Stage IIb.  one sentinel node had one microscopic fleck of dye and one had 2 flecks.  Some docs call that positive and some do not.  The onc at MD Anderson in Houston was the one that listed me as having 3 of 17 nodes positive.  I also was given 12 doses of Taxol first and then 4 doses of FAC, one every 3 weeks.  Your TC is probably a taxane drug like my Taxol.

Good luck with it all.  The FAC made me slightly nauseous for 3 days or so and then felt "fluey" for about 5 days.  On about day 8 I would turn the corner so to speak and started feeling good. 

Just rest and take care of yourself. 

By the way, I am a "young" 68 y/o.   Was post-menopausal when diagnosed,

My hair came out with the Taxol.  Not everyone's does, but mine did.  I was losing hair every time I combed or washed it .  It was coming out in my hands and was messy, so I had a friend shave my head.  I now, one year later, have a full head of hair.  It is about jaw length. 

Take care.  I will check back and see how you are doing.  Hugs, Sammie Kay

HI all,

High and dry here in South Texas.  Praying for the folks in Louisiana and all the Gulf Coast.  And of course now the Eastern Atlantic Coast.  I have a granddaughter in North Carolina at school.

We dodged the bullet once again. Hallelujah.

So sorry to hear about your dear "Petey".  I know you and your daughter are so sad.  They are such a part of our families and leave such a big hole in the heart.  I am glad you don't have to work during rads.  I didn't have rads, but hear from others how hard they are on one.  Especially the tiredness.  Take good care of yourself and rest, rest,rest.  {{{{{{{{{Pat}}}}}}}}} Pat is my younger sister's name, very special name to me.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday.  I re-potted a bunch of plants for my patio.  I have somewhat of a green thumb and everything outgrows the pots.  So I bought bigger pots and moved everyone on up a size.  It is so very hot and humid here.  Hard to go outside and work.

I will check out the link you sent Catherine.  Always interested in new treatments.

We lost our dear retired Chief Nursing Officer.  She had been DON, then Administrative Assistant and then the HIPPA Official for our hospital.  She worked until she was about 75.  Retired and got cancer.  It was pancreatic and liver.  She lived about 9 months.

Well Marsha, looks like you could be in the path of Hanna.  Take care and do your Hurricane Dance to send her on her way back out into the Atlantic. LOL

Well, better go to bed.  Have to work tomorrow.

Hugs to all,  love you all,  Sammie Kay