Best Of
Re: So...whats for dinner?
I'm finally getting "re-settled, laundry done and un-jet lagged". The airline to get from Phoenix to Show Low…so far it's 1 out of 4 flying with the rest being a 4 hour van shuttle ride. And, as soon as I got home, my other intermittent government job needed attention. At least the two agencies coordinate well enough that they don't simultaneously want me.
So, now I need to read up on what has been going on. I did some reading while I was back east but after 10 hour days/6 days a week working in a warehouse with indoor conditions in the 90F degrees and 80% humidity range, I didn't read much. :-)
The breadless Ruben sounds interesting. Sharon's WW plan somewhat discourages bread. We have homemade sauerkraut and thousand island dressing in the refrigerator, so all it would take is the corned beef.
eric95us
Re: how about drinking?
Good afternoon! The lounge is quiet. I'm looking forward to my vodka martini on the rocks with multiple olives at 5 pm. That's our ritual, cocktails at 5. DH will be making himself a bloody mary with his own mix that includes clamato juice. He adds pickle spears. Normally he has a gin martini on the rocks, also loaded with olives.
Hope everyone is keeping cool and feeling good.
Re: My Chemotherapy Journey
pneuma,
The word hormone is very broad. While your skin condition could be triggered by hormonal changes that doesn’t mean that chemo and hormone positive bc are a known cause of this condition. I did a search and can find nothing that associates chemo with your skin condition. It is entirely possible, and likely, that these are unrelated, but of course , anything is possible.
I continue to be baffled as to why you didn’t switch doctors long ago since you referred to her as a quack. That’s a pretty damning statement and am unclear as to why you would continue to see someone you would characterize that way. If I thought someone was a quack, I’d have switched long ago. It seems to me that most of your anxiety and lack of or misinformation comes from a poor relationship with your mo.
Lastly, with respect to tumor shrinkage. Wouldn’t finishing the course of chemo, and checking for shrinkage at that time, be a reasonable course of action? Chemo is given in several sessions over time. If a certain number of sessions is the recommendation, why would you expect results after only partial treatment? If results were expected with only a limited number of treatments why would the recommendation be for more than that? i.e. If things were expected to be resolved after 2 treatments, why schedule 4? I may have the numbers wrong on how many treatments but why declare failure when you haven’t completed treatment?
Let me also say, that I am unsure about whether you actually want people to respond to you or whether you’d just like this to be a place to journal without feedback. Please let me know!
Re: Coping with emotions
@godonnell welcome, so glad you are sharing your story.
I hear you and can relate to your journey. I too had a recent recurrence with skin eruptions this past January. The skin eruptions made me feel like a leper, and just when I thought my cancer might be done and dusted, it recurs as MBC just 6 months after surgery, and 1 month after I stopped chemo the first time. Oh my and the emotions too, hard to admit and hard to accept, and they come and go.
And through it all, I find that positive thoughts, images, meditation, excersise - lifestyle medicine uplift and sustain me. It’s what I can control when so much is not in my control. I do a few things , which if it is helpful you might try or ignore lol . Journal- I have two, at night before bed I use a gratitude journal to write down 3 things that went well that day. Small joys simple joys to remind me that life is not all cancer all the time. And sometimes reminding myself that a conversation with a colleague, or a great dish I made, or a walk in the shade was uplifting… intentionally going to bed with positive thoughts and I sleep really welll! Also during the day I journal about how I feel and what I’m looking forward to that day, it’s private and mine and I can slowly track my side effects from medicines too, record my workouts, etc.. in that journal I write positive affirmations too. “Every day and in every way I’m getting better and better” also “never ever give up and dare to recover” etc… good for my mind to remember and my heart to be fully engaged in my quality of life.
Dealing with difficult emotions is like a meditation practice, it takes time and practice. Aversion is so natural, turning away, I understand I do that too sometimes. But I have found turning towards , in small ways helpful. I would suggest go slow with them, that is what I do. I call it making a quarter turn towards what I feel, not a full turn sometimes a half turn lol… but a quarter turn to simply acknowledge that emotions are present and breathe deeply in and out around them just making space as best as you can, and no more than that. I really like mindfulness practices for that, which I find super helpful to make space for what is hard to acknowledge and it softens in the heart with the breath. Not trying to change anything, just accepting what is here to be known with small steps many times. As you can. And before you know it, you feel freer and happier. It is what it is.
I hope this is helpful , and if not it’s all good ! Either way, you are not alone. - Rhonda
Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Just to let everyone know — I sent Sandy a pm and told her we were all concerned and hoped she was just busy and wasn't in the path of any storms and getting issues from that as well. I did think of a way to look for her addy that I had, but I couldn't go back far enough to find it in some of the lists I have kept.
I'm hoping we hear something soon. She is pretty resourceful, but none-the-less there will be worry till we hear. If all else I might call my friend and see if he can do a quick installation of my older addy lists from the other computer. Already have to get him to do some pictures from the old — so it should be a snap.
Fingers crossed.
Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Cindy - Nice picture of your neighbors. Hope they aren’t the loud partying type.
Betrayal - love to hear that Bumble Bee and you are jammin’ to Janis Joplin. Your breakfast sounds amazing.
Rainy, gray and humid here today.
harley07
Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Slept last night with only 2 awakenings and second at 5 am was due to pain from extending knee. Need to sleep this way but after about 6 hours in this position it tends to protest. Had to take a Norco to get it to quiet down and then slept until 8 am. PT today was tolerable and discussed with PT about what I thought was a setback on Friday. She didn't feel that way and said progress continues with some newer exercises and use of both 2 lb and then 3 lb ankle weights. During back against the wall squats I could hear and feel grating in my left knee which was not pleasant to hear or feel. If left knee was a cave I'd have both stalagmites and stalactites due to osteophytes present on x-ray. I could see them when she brought up x-rays at last visit. The left was actually the worse of the 2 but the right was the most painful, so opted to get it done first.
Need to drive my car to dealer next week for annual inspection and oil change, so I have to trial drive by the end of the week. DH will not drive my car after a negative driving experience with my last one. I think I am ready and find that lateral moves are not hard.
Bumble Bee is trilling away and his volume is continuing to increase. I was playing a Janis Joplin song yesterday and he also finds her to be a favorite since he did not sing along with other artists including the Beatles and Moody Blues, just her. She's one of my all time favorites. I'll have to see how he reacts to a Nina Simone song next.
Went to lunch at a new cafe in the shopping center near us and had what they call OMG French toast that had walnuts, caramel drizzle and bacon bits on top with warm maple syrup. The OMG was an apt title. There were 3 slices of a multigrain bread and I could only eat 2 and probably should have only eaten 1/2 of the second slice. They had really good coffee as well. So this will be a keeper because I am full.
Overcast and in the low 80's but low humidity so tolerable. DH to finish working on fencing in the flower bed near the stream. He finished the area to the left of the flagstone walkway and now will work on the right side.
cindyny, loved your neighbors. They can be noisy and quite aggressive. There is a town in NJ where they took over and the residents were not happy because they are protected so they cannot harm them. Hope you get great weather.
Harley, puffin and anyone else with issues, I am hoping they are minor inconveniences.
Hope everyone has a great day.
betrayal
Re: Starting Chemo May and June 2024 Support Thread
I use ice mitts and booties while I’m getting Taxotere (docetaxel). I put them on 15 mins before and leave them on for 10-15 mins after. I have to wear gloves and socks between them and my skin now or it causes intense swelling, tingling, and burning during. So far, I don’t think I’ve had any neuropathy. I figure, if I need to wonder that hard, it isn’t a problem 😊
My crew. Who will not all cooperate for one pic. The calico, Simi, is 7. Charlie, Ziggy, and Wookie are a litter of orphan kittens we found before moving states almost 3 years ago. I failed hard at fostering— I kept them all 😁
Re: Starting Chemo May and June 2024 Support Thread
@justsnapd8 I know Olanzapine well because I took care of my Brother in. law with Lewy Body Dementia and he took that drug. I didn't have to take the Zofran first time around, we will see what's to come with next round this week. So sad about your kitties ☹️ I hope you are feeling well.
@sarahjunefox Glad your hand is better. I had to have my first infusion in a vein because my port wasn't in yet. I don't know much about it but I thought everyone used a port. I hope you can find a therapist you feel comfortable with, thats so important.
@Love4All Thanks for the poem 😉 and I am so sorry about your kitty, on top of everything else. Yes we women are strong and even tho I'm much older this time around, I feel strong and confident that this detour won't keep me from the active fun life I've been living. My husband of 51 years and I still have a lot to do!
@bailey.boo Its true you just don't know what reaction will happen. I think of it as poison thats killing off good and bad so anything can happen! It's strange my nails are stronger and growing faster, isn't that weird? Hope your skin calms down.
Is anyone using cold for hands and feet for CIPN? A friend asked if I was and I didn't the first time. I am doing cold capping, which is difficult enough. Curious tho if anyone knows of good results for the hands and feet.
My second treatment is Wednesday and I am enjoying these great days up until then. Thinking of you all…
This is my kitty Huli
bythebay
