Illinois ladies facing bc
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Hi all:
So much going on and so much of it very stressful. HopeforCure, you sound like one wonderful mom and wife. I just know how scary this is for you and I feel like we are all just a few steps before you and after you and some right next to you. I hope that makes you feel surrounded with caring people. The hotel was a good idea. Soon this will be over and you will be home with your little girl. I am not sure of your dx but it looks like you got this very early and you are going at it aggressively.
Laura, my heart is going out to you at this time. I just feel for that man who is facing mets all alone. WE just never know.
Jackie, I love 'Trip to Bountiful" and I saw it in the theater. It stayed with me, so I ordered the film and so I also have it on video. That story so inspires me. All is changing about her and she is dying HER WAY. I love the soup tureen she always hated but could never give away and is now using as a bed pan! Ladies, I know the theme of dying is perhaps dismal, but this film is oddly joyful.
Last night we went to see Slum Dog Millionaire. It was given rave reviews and I liked it but I think I just expected too much. Yesterday I was Confirmation sponsor for my 14-year old second cousin. It took much of the day and I definitely left feeling holy.
The QUILT IS EXQUISITE! Oh, I just think it is a work of art. I know you ladies had fun at the restaurant and I am sorry I missed you. The pictures are lovely and as others have mentioned, you look happy.
I have been spending lots of time with LIla and Adeline. Lila is a good, quiet baby and Adeline is being tolerant. What more can you ask of two babies (4days and 16months).Have a fun day!
Susan
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can anyone help me out ?
On another thread of these discussion boards for *older women with bc* ~rolling eyes~ but I am......is there anyone of us who is my age (60) who is ER/PR- and HER2+ it seems to me someone is but I cant remember who ? There is a lady on the other chat board who would like to see a post from someone with the same diagnosis as her and I thought I would just check here since everyone is so good about sharing what they can .......
That quilt.....is beyond beautiful and wonderful ! My grandma was a quilter and I am now down to my last *new* quilt , when its gone there is nothing left in the hopechest, but I grew up and spent my whole life wrapped in beautiful quilts. When I got my bc diagnosis, the girls I work with made me a prayer blanket which meant the world to me, have any of you seen them or had one ?
Congratulations on your little one Susan !!!!!
My littlest grandson turns 2 today so we are off for the type of birthday party only Winnie the Pooh and 2 year olds can have....and yes, I will have cake
Love to all
jan
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Good morning ladies. Thank you Jan Clare for sharing the pictures. They were wonderful! What an attractive group of ladies! I do wish I could have joined you and I'm so glad you had a nice night together.
Carol, I heartily agree with everyone else. Your quilt is lovely. I have several that my great grandmother made. They always bring me comfort and each is so different. You have a true sewing talent and eye for arrangement.
Susan...so glad that the little one is doing well and that you are enjoying those two grandbabies! They are indeed true gifts! It won't be long and school will be out, you will be a free agent, and you'll have lots of time to spoil them!
Kater...always glad to see a post from you! You're always into some healthy pursuit and it makes me guilty! I need to be more like you.
Hey Juliet...from the pics it appears that you are looking VERY good! :-)
Wendy, is it this week that you have your mammo and onc visit? My labwork is next week and then I see my onc the week after. I know that we're usually pretty close with dr. visits. I see my primary care physician this week so there's going to be three consecutive weeks of med trips and "ouchy nerves." Even the cat will probably stay away from me by the time these are over!
Hugs to all of you.
Rita
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Ladies, me again. I just have a question for you ladies who are two years away from dx and near my age (61). Maybe the arimidex ladies could help me.. Do you find yourself feeling fatigued? I know my life is a bit off with fulltime teaching and running here and there for the new baby, but I just find that I get so exhausted. I am getting my sleep (more than ever) but I just find that I could nap, and I do, and often awaken not feeling refreshed. It is discouraging as I want to be like my old self, and I am afraid that girl is gone. Maybe it is because I am not exercising like I should. Of course I worry something is wrong, but the two week rule is not working here. Some days I have energy and some days I feel so tired. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I do notice that I feel worse on weekends when I have the time to feel the exhaustion and give into it.
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Interesting day here....a friend took us out to lunch and then we went to the local Home Show at the Rec. Center here. Of course, we signed up for everything,,,,,,so will have to field all sorts of calls for things we don't want...,..but that's ok. She also bought us a bag ( mixed variety ) of Xocai chocolate which certainly sounds like what you should be eating if you are going to indulge. Hmmmm, something else I will have to investigate.
Now Susan.....have you maybe been eating too many higher-glycemic foods. I think that might tend to give you a lazy/tired/need sleep feeling. I always take my Arimidex in the morning.....I try to get it down before 10 a.m. I sometimes will if I am sitting ( on Thurs. and Fri. at the office ) a little too long, get a sensation of a noticeable slump....almost like someone sticking a pin in a balloon. I get up and walk around a bit, get a drink of water....or even coffee from next door. I try not to nap.....because I think mine may come from wrong food or something of that nature and it seems to me that my sleep is a little more sound if I don't nap.
I say I try not to nap....but obviously can't at the office. I tried a couple of naps here on days I could and I couldn't determine that it did much good. Maybe you will have to try a series of maneuvers to see if you can change/correct this problem. I don't know that this is much help because I honestly feel that I had little for side effects....just the almost daily clomping around in the a.m. for awhile after I get up. Sometimes I will even have this for a brief time if I sit a little too long during the day.....especially if it's a damp day. I am 63 but haven't taken the Arimidex all that long. I hope you can get a handle on this because the couple of times I did really feel the weariness it felt pretty awful. Are you missing some important vitamin ???? Any new meds lately ??? So many things to consider. Here's hoping.
Prayers and hugs,
Jackie
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Happy Birthday Kater!!!!!! Many, many, many more!!!!! MANY!!!!!!!!Hope4Cure (Jennifer)...thinking about you today!
Susan...nope, I am not feeling more tired. I make time every day to exercise at least 30 minutes, usualy an hour...every day tho. But then I don't work so have the time. I have most other se's of arimidex tho...the aches, pains and all the other little delights from no estrogen including watchng my butt grow. Jackie is right re: glycemic index. Do a bit of research and check your diet and see how it compares....glad to see Lila is thriving!
Rita...had my onc visit in early Jan, next mamm (on the bad girl) is 3/16 and yes, already dreading what they will find! I too have a ridge under my incision which they all tell me is scar tissue but, well, you know how that goes!
Nothing much this week...nice and quiet...no docs or tests. Sure wish it would warm up tho...only 6 on my deck this am. Oh well....I'm sure spring will come again. Won't it?
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Happy Birthday Kater!!!!!!! Enjoy your day!
Wendy, I know how you're feeling about the upcoming mammo. I really wonder if we'll ever get over this nagging fear when it comes to doc appointments. I knew that our appointments were always fairly close.
Jackie, I'm really glad that you're doing so well on the Arimidex. If you were going to have any serious side effects, I think you would have had them by now.
I'm off and running again this morning. I'm meeting Mary Jane in Springfield for lunch and some shopping. We always have a good time when we get together.
Have a good day everyone!
Rita
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Thanks for posting the pictures. You gals look great! Love the quilt!
Jan -I am the opposite ER/PR + HER2-, so sorry I can't help. I know we have a couple triple negatives on this thread, but not sure about what you are looking for.
Sorry again about Kurt and his wife, Laura. Just a tragedy.
Thinking of you today, Jennifer.
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Wonderful, wonderful
sun out there. Frosty overlay on everything....but life is good when I see the sun. Happy sunny birthday to you Kater, and many more. Nothing special on for the day although I have to run into town later and get supplies for the office. I think that too becomes now MY job. Well, I can do it, but hmmm, lately I'm thinking with the economy.....how many jobs will I have to take on in order to keep mine---and I am the lowest paid of the three paid employees. I think that is the way it goes though and honestly.....it does make more sense for me to be the one, even if it feels like we are NOT ALL assuming a share of cut back work. Ok --nuf' of my griping about that. I am thrilled to have a job as it is what keeps my animal population around here and the ferals fed and able to go to the vet etc.
Well, I'm off and running for the day. Hope you all have a good one and enjoy the sunshine. Vit.D straight from the sun is the best. My friend sits outside as early as she can for 20 to 30 mins. to get her D naturally. I think she has something there big time, but so few have the time. I think about the D....and meditating and planning your day....so many things could be done. She is brave though about being out when it's cool. She's my nutritionist friend and I think she is going to live till?????wow, long time I bet. Oatmeal every morning.....often will order french fries at lunch out.....and eats only 7 and throws the rest away. Ok....she has it down to a science...how much you can eat of the bad stuff etc. I don't have the discipline and will power and my generation was the eat every thing on your plate one --- so, I'm only going to my mid 90's.
Anyway....whatever you do enjoy.
Prayers and hugs,
Jackie
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What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt - it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else.
Hal Boyle0 -
Poop, I was almost done typing & then my PC threw up! Looks like I lost the whole thing.
Jennifer - thinking of you today!
Kater - happy happy b-day!! Celebrate with some smoothie treats
JanClare - thanks for the posting the pics.
Jackie - I've read to so much about Vit D deficiency lately; you're right, that's the best way to get it - via the sun. Oh I'd love to soak up natural sun each day. For now, I started a supplement.
Hi to everyone else that I'm not addressing individually
Not much is up here. Went back to Pompei with my sister yesterday, heehee. I love that place, and it's so close to my house. My post surgical pain is a lot better now that I'm past the 2 week mark. So it's extra hard to follow doctor's orders & not do too much.
Have a good day everyone!! Juliet
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATER!
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Hi Girls! Just popping in... to wish you all a Happy Monday.
Kater - do you have anything special planned? If not... at a minimum... you must treat yourself to a big, fat piece of cake... Enjoy!
PJuliet - The bread pudding at Pompei was awesome!
Jackie - Soak up those rays!
Jan - I sent you a PM.
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Hi:
Thanks for the information on glycemic index. I often wonder why I am the last one to hear about this stuff! Anyway, I did some research and I can see that I can makes some changes and should very soon. I actually feel great today. Sometimes I think that if I sleep longer (weekends) I actually feel worse. I am excited to be be soaking up some vitamin D in Arizona in March. I am also completely off all the pills I took for the nightmares (antidepressants) and that could explain a difference in how I feel. I did do that slowly, but still, it could make a difference.
Have a fun day!
Susan
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Happy Birthday, Kater! I hope your day is just full of happy surprises!
Susan
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Hmmm, I tried to get into the boards and it said they were down ( the boards only ) and they were trying to fix them......Juliet...maybe that is where your post went --- into the broken part of the boards and that thought flashed on me the second I read what you wrote after I got on here. I just tried a second time and it looked like it was going to come in just as slow ( the little green box on the tool-bar ) and then suddenly flashed open onto the board.
Susan...I never knew much about G-index until I wanted to lose weight and Adkins and South Beach are very strong on using the glycemic index however, I think the South Beach diet is over-all much better as #1...I'm not that fond of meat and that is what you eat on Adkins...and #2 I love bread and pasta and things like that and with care you can have them on South Beach. For long range eating I'd pick South Beach but it is just my opinion. I tried Wt. Watchers but was hungry all the time.....then South Beach and was not hungry all the time....so that is my take on diet plans.
Was gone all day and getting ready to go again. I may get to check back in later. We will see.
Prayers and hugs,
Jackie
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The boards were down temporarily while they were shutting down the Political threads.
Boo-Hoo -
Although... it was fun while it lasted! Hope you're all having a great evening.
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Jackie....I love South Beach Diet plan.....and have lost a lot of my hundred pounds lost doing it. I have a couple of great snack and breakfast recipes that have gotten me through lots of difficult times. When I do it correctly....which isnt always.....Im not hungry at all. Just constipated
Not much news DH had one of his surgeries today so I have been doing *nursing at home* and he is feeling a little better tonight....tomorrow he is back on his own cause I have to get back to work. Got a statement today from Good Sam.....insurance pending....in the six plus figure range....nearly gave me a heart attack....slipped it into the growing bc envelope and hope *fingers tightly crossed* the payment from insurance is on its way VERY soon.....and we are supposed to destress eh ?????
good thoughts to each of you always
jan
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Just dropping in to wish Kater a very Happy Birthday!
Jan- can you post any of the snack or breakfast recipes?
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Morning! Going to be warmer today...so...Yay!!!!Susan.....good luck with your dietary changes. Maybe it's just our weather...it has been depressing these past few months. Now .... don't laugh....but.....Suzanne Sommers has written (yes..she can read and write!) some books re: the glycemic index, etc. and what she does...and you have to admit, she's in pretty good shape for her age. Why not check your library for these and read between the lines....she does have a lot of good stuff in there. And OK...some hokey stuff but I did find them interesting and informative.
Jan...I second Mich101....what snacks are good? Hopefully some contain fruits/veggies...I know I don't eat enuf of those. I did start drinking a glass or 2 of V8 Fusion "Light" which contains one serving of both f & v and for 8oz it's only 50 cal.
Kater...so...how was your big day?
Laura...OMG...they shut down the boards to remove a political thread???? Wow.
Jan...oops.....forgot! Seems like DH is doing well (well...???...okay...better???) and we are happy for that. Don't concern yourself too much right now about the bills. They are overwhelming. And don't forget...you had all your tx done so quickly and that is why your bills are so high! They all came at once. Mine were spread out over 14 months. I tended just to look at the part where it said "patient may owe"...that was either "0" or under $20. at least. Once I stopped getting billed for an item, THEN I sat down and reviewed that portion. There was only one mistake that I found...which I called the ins co. (or rather...wrote them) and they paid up within 30 days.
Jacks....does sitting in a sunny window count for Vit D? If not...I am just gonna keep on taking my little Vit D pills...way too cold for me to be out in the sunshine! Have you started dusting off your patio furniture? You didn't have a summer last year....you must be chomping at the bit this year!
Juliet...glad you are feeling so much better. You look great. And now you are going to be a dog trainer! Well...that is a complete switch but you know? Why not? I am looking for something to do as well...that is NOT connected with medicine, thank you very much. But I have no training for anything else and with the job market...don't know what that could be. Any ideas, my friends...at what I might be good at?
Blackjack...hope you are having a ball, not losing too much...and hopefully your cabana boys have been VERY attentive!
Rita/WendyTY....keep on with that walking! Shorts/bikini season is almost here!
Everyone else...hope you are doing well. I wish for you all a wonderful Fat Tuesday...eat something decadent!
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HAPPY PACZKI (pronounced punch-key) DAY!
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I second Laura's cheer - Happy PACZKI day!! They are yuuummmmmy.
Hey Susan, low glycemic is a great way to eat. I did it for a long time, and got lazy right around the time I got DX'd. After reading the board yesterday, I've decided to get back on that wagon - or at least try my best to do so
Wendy, I'm looking into the dog training career. The caveat is that I'd probably have to work nights & weekends - which I'm not a fan of. I'd never see anybody, boohoo. We'll see how things pan out. Hmm, I personally dont' have any recommendations for you as far as a new career path, but I'll bet some of these ladies do. What do we want to be when we grow up, heehee!!
I, too, am curious if sun coming through a window provides Vitamin D ?
I'm heading out to run some errands, and do a little bit of light house cleaning. And that's my boring day.
Hope you all have a nice day... Juliet
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Happy
sunny day and I lost a whole fantastic post because I forgot to hit submit I guess. Would have been around 9a..m......boy do I hate that. Oh well, SIGH!!!!! one of these days I hope I get it together and stop doing that. Anyway, Juliet I was speaking about my admiration for the dog trainer we used for most of our dogs here....only Buddy and B. Boss did not get trained. She mainly trained Belgian Mallinois -- pronounced Mal-n-wa and German Sheppards.....generally dogs used in police-type work. Went all over the world but spent a lot of time in Australia and Scotland Yard. Fascinating to talk too and very insightful as a teacher and trainer. We did not train the small dogs hard ( which means super consistently ) as they are only house pets as opposed to the breed we had before that was working dog breed. All dogs will get "lazy" very easy if you lose your consistency with them and will assume alpha on you fairly fast. Also she worked with a man who bred and raised championship Bloodhounds used in tracking and finding lost people. We are still good friends with Jack......and his dogs are beautiful. Behesha and I vowed to stay in touch when she moved her business ( X-treme K-9 ) to Carbondale, Illinois, but we did not and I haven't heard from her in three years. She was always interesting to watch.....would take some of these huge ( and often very mean looking dogs ) and have than putty in her hands in no time.
And a little more on South Beach. They have a new book out which not only helps you with your eating plan, but also helps with exercise. That book talks about how walking is such a good exercise if done right.....which means taking off walking at your normal pace.....then picking the pace up and walking fast fore five mins., then slowing back down for five....then fast again. This according the the book ( if I read it correctly ) keeps your metabolism rev'ed and burning calories long after you have finished your walk as apposed to losing all benefit shortly after you finish walking. Somehow it had the ring of 'exactly' right to me and I have vowed to try it. I should be doing it now.....however, since I do work the two days a week.....I will do my walking ( hopefully daily ) on those days which are not work days......that gives me five days to use for sure.
Wendy, I was thinking you ought to try sharing/teaching someone perhaps one of your hobbies you really love. Kaskaskia College recently had a blurb in the paper about teaching beginning knitting. I was all set to sign up but got nervous about the schedule --- only one evening a week for four weeks, and didn't and now I regret it.
Also, if you play an instrument.....you may be able to help people learn who only want to play for pleasure. This is something I too would enjoy.
Anyway, I'm onward and upward. Had to take B.Boss to the groomer's today. A few other assorted errands and then get Dh off to work on the late shift today. See ya'll later.
Prayers and hugs,
Jackie
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Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the
journey!
- Barbara Hoffman0 -
Wendy......DH will always have problems....we do have high hopes for yesterdays procedure to deal with some of them on a long term basis....I feel so bad for him sometimes, falling 25' head first off a roof changed his life forever and then of course we have the accident this past January where the road found his head.....he is my best friend in the whole world and we have proven time and again that we will do anything for each other. But....simply , yes he is doing good thanks for asking.
I can only say, that IF THAT bill I got yesterday isnt covered....I am heading for the soup kitchen *grin* seriously......patience....is one of my better personality points.
South Beach snacks and breakfast , here are my 2 favorites.....they get me through EVERY week at work...
Breakfast cups.....
in a bowl, mix, 1C egg beaters, 1 C low fat or fat free shredded cheese ( I use the 2% organic) , chop up a couple of slices of FF boiled ham or canadian bacon ( I like the ham) and then saute veggies of your choice, I do red pepper, onion and mushroom in PAM, add that to the bowl and mix it all up.....pour into mini muffin cups and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.....I ziplock bag them and freeze them in portions of 3-4 depending on how big they grow.....I microwave them at work for about 90 seconds if frozen and put a little fresh salsa on top. The little bit of work pays off in the NO work on a daily basis.
My favorite go to lifesaver.....Jello Chiffon ( very filling and very good) better than you would think
2 pks sugar free jello.....my favorite flavors are black cherry and lemon but raspberry is good too
dissolve the jello in 1 cup of boiling water, then add 2 cups of ice water , put this mixture into your blender jar and refrigerate until nearly set.....add 10oz container of 1% cottage cheese and kind of stir it in with a big spoon (looks disgusting at this point) whip it on high speed for a couple of minutes or more, til it looks all frothy and no signs of cottage cheese curds, pour into 5 (8oz cups with lids) and refrigerate.....I take one to work with me everyday , its filling, lots of protein, some of the nurses I work with are addicted to it now too.
If any of this sounds good.....I have a couple more favorites.
I started at 5am this morning.....now I can barely keep my eyes open, so its jammie time for me.
Have a great night
jan
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Hey Jan, Those recipes sound wonderful...especially the jello one! I'm going to try it as soon as I get to the store. Thanks for sharing! I really packed on the pounds over the holidays. Then I started to lose a few of them and then I went to Florida where we scoped out all the good eating places and I gorged myself on anything and everything. It's time I got serious about this weight. Wendy and I haven't been walking this week. Her grandmother is seriously ill so she's been spending time at the hospital with her. She stayed all night last night.
Did you have a nice birthday, Kater? Did you do anything special to celebrate?
Mary Jane and I went shopping yesterday. It was one of those days where we talked more than we shopped. We found a sale that was a "grandmother's dream." Wow! They were almost giving away some of the clothes so of course we couldn't let them get away! Other than that, we bought very little for ourselves, but boy did we have some good talks! LOL
Well, I had to take my cat to the vet today for his rabies shot and annual check-up! He does not like the vet at all and doesn't cooperate one bit. It was a nightmare but it's over hopefully for another year. He's getting pretty old and the vet was concerned about his loss of weight so I hope the bloodwork comes out well for him.
Has anyone who's on femara, arimidex, tamoxifan, etc. had swollen joints in the hand? The joints in my hands are enlarged so much that I can't wear my usual rings. They have been that way for some time and I'm planning on talking to my primary care doc when I go on Thursday but was just curious if anyone else had experienced this or if I am unique? LOL
Well, I'm off to start a Jodi Picoult book that Mary Jane loaned me. I think my recliner is the perfect place for that!
Everyone have a good Wednesday!
Rita
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Happy Belated birthday, Kater!!
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This is my granddaughter, Lila, and I with Wendy's blanket!
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Oh Susan.....simply beautiful !
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Thanks for posting some recipes Jan.
Susan-your grandbaby is precious, and beautiful blanket Wendy!
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