Anyone starting Chemo in Feb?
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Praying that you are having a good birthday Pat. Have you done anything special? Hope you are feeling better this week?
It is a beautiful day here today and I am going shopping (clothes) with a friend who is a very difficult size so it will be fairly frustrating all around. The work on our guest room starts today so it is all go in this house. DH worked himself to a standstill yesterday getting the room ready and I got all the exercise I could want moving furniture, books etc.
Wishing everyone a restful day
Alyson
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Just popped in to say hi and check on the news of the day.
Vegas - Thank you for the yummy cyberita - makes me want a real one tho!
Alyson - Is it starting to cool off yet?
Pat - It's good to see you posting. I hope that you're feeling well. As someone who deals with constant sinus problems, I hear ya! Have you tried a netty pot? That might be helpful on the really bad days.
Twink, Marsha, Pat, I think of you every day. You and everyone on this board mean so much to me. I couldnt have gotten thru '07 without you and everyone's friendship and support. We are all here for you. (((Hugs)))
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It is actually getting warmer, February tends to be the hottest month and here in Auckland it gets extremely humid. This of course coincides with the beginning of the school year so it is not the most pleasant in classrooms for the first month or so and very few school have any form of air conditioning. Think it is going to be really hot today.
Alyson
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Thinking of all of you today.
Marsha...I am sure you WILL keep the rads techs in line. Hope that goes will....at least you won't have to take your shirt off! I admire your strength.
Pat...nice to see you here, hope the nose issues don't bring you down too much. But at least the drugs are working!
Twilah....hope you are well...
Hugs to all of you (((Marsha))) (((Twilah))) (((Pat)))
Alyson...we have 6 inches or better of snow on the ground, which was followed by freezing rain. DD drove back to school today, she made it okay...called just a bit ago. I for one, am looking forward to some warmth.
I spent all day yesterday and today taking down Christmas and cleaning and putting the house back together. Started after I got home from work at noon, just finished up. Of couse, still doing laundry.
DH made some wings...we will be watching the Steelers game later.
Pour me a cyberita....I want to drink one with Marsha nd Carynn and Vegas tomorrow too!
Love you guys...you don't know how much you mean to me. Hoping to be as supportive of any of you who need me now.
Love,
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Hi all,
Hope everyone has had a good weekend.
Terry, How bout those Steelers?!!!
Alyson, when you were talking about the heat with the start of school, made me think...you did retire from teaching, right? Hope you will be spared that experience. Your DD and DGD are beautiful. I know you are so proud of them.
Great to hear from Pat, Marsha and Twink.
{{{{{{{{{{{Marsha}}}}}}}}}} Good luck and God bless with your scan tomorrow.
{{{{{{{{{{{Pat}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Holding you up in thoughts and prayers. Hope the A/A isn't too hard on you. Also when the scans come wishing for good results.
Vegas, I will be arriving in Atlanta at 1:35 PM, so you will probably be getting on your plane as I am getting off mine. I am flying Continental. How about you? Darn, I would love to meet you face to face. I will definitely contact you the next time I fly to LV.
Catherine, your dinner party sounded wonderful. What lucky guest you had. I did a lot of entertaining during my first marriage(28 years). I enjoyed it but found it stressful and exhausting. Now I am on a very low-key path. We have a couple over once in awhile or go out to eat, but no more big dinner parties. I admire people who can pull it off. I too have just passed the two year mark since the bilateral mastectomies. I kind of wish I had never started the reconstruction process. It has not been very satisfactory. I will go to see another plastic surgeon in March and try to get the my failed right implant redone. Long story I won't go into here.
Hugs to all - Caryn, Leah, Twilah, Melanie,Lucky Mel and "where in the world is Hillary?"
Love all you guys, Sammie Kay
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Sammie Kay, so sorry to hear about your failed implant!
I hear so many stories like yours and realize how lucky I was. If you can travel, I have a great PS in New York. I will be leaving on Delta at 2:39 - if you want to send me your flight number I will see if I have enough time to make it to your gate as you arrive. Bring the long johns - my sister said it is going to be FREEZING next week! Sounds like we should all go to Auckland and visit Alyson until spring! Marsha, let us know how it goes tomorrow - we will all be thinking of you and toasting your success in getting those mets gone!
Happy Birthday Pat and MANY MANY more!
Hope you feel like posting soon, Twilah.
Thinking of all of you!
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Good morning!
Sing along with me: Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, It's off to work I go!
I have to admit I never thought I would enjoy not working. It was wonderful to eat whenever I wanted, rest whenever I wanted. And to pursue something online as far as I wanted to! But I am ready to return to the rat race.
Thinking of everybody as you go about all the craziness that is our lives! Love.
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Good Luck Leah....I am off to work too!
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So... Leah... How was your "first day"? Did you make friends? Hope your commute was not the nightmare it's been here (6-8" of fresh "unannounced" snow...). Come here tell us it all...
The Xmas deco is gone (sniff...
), the house is waiting for the plumber+tileman to redo the bathroom (getting rid of tub on feet for a real shower... I HATE remodelling work)... but they could not make it because of the snow... tomorrow things get serious (only one bathroom!!! yack... but lots of cafés around... and the swimming pool for showering...??). It's going to be 10 horribilis days... and work to do... so I go back for not starting the year "behind on my deadlines"... Procrastination is my middle name.Thinking of you all... hugs. Marsha, hope the doc's visit was not to hard. Let us know, OK? Love,
Catherine
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Pat - How on earth did I miss your birthday? Happy Birthday, my friend and many, many more! (((Pat)))
Alyson - Wow, warmer huh? January / February are the rainy months here in Arizona. It's been pretty cold here (for us) until this recently. We're supposed to stay in the 70's this week.
Terry - I thought I had put away all my Christmas stuff only to realize I left a wreath up and some little knick knacks out. So, they didn't make it "home" with the rest of the stuff. Sure hope I remember where I put them come Christmas!
SammieKay - I forgot when you are leaving for your trip. Are you still around? Wishing you a safe and pleasant journey.
Vegas - Careful there with those cyberita's. You could end up "bartender!"
Leah - How was work? I hope it was great!! I struck out with our app person regarding your question. Our Finance group uses Oracle, so no luck there. Just wanted to let you know I didn't forget. I'll keep my ear to the ground.
Catherine - Glad to see I'm not the only one missing Christmas! I could have enjoyed it at least another month! Hope the remodelers make it tomorrow. I just hated it when we were remodeling, but I do like it now.
Sending hugs to Twink, Pat, Marsha & everyone.0 -
Hello, all!
Work is going wonderfully. Like it very much. Commute is bearable at this point, no issues other than it is LONG.
Days fly by. This is why I work, and why I needed to be back!
Hope everyone is tucked in all nice and warm. Got up to 16 degrees today, and we are expecting 0 and below end of week. Youza!
Love.
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Leah...so glad you are enjoying your new endeavor. Your weather forecast sounds as cold as ours....we are also expecting 0 degrees by end of week. It is snowing now...a whiteout while I was driving home.
Carynn...don't be jealous, but I also missed some decorations. Being the sentimental sap that I am, I have always displayed things the kids made over the years. I hung up their pine cones with glitter hanging from ribbons on some of my hanging plants....alas, they were forgotten during the packing up! So now they reside in the laundry room...I wonder if I will be wondering where they are next year?
Hey Marsha, how were our cyberitas?
Catherine...sounds like you had a wonderful feast. I just love to get out my good china (or my Christmas China) and the clothe napkins and set a pretty table. It gets kind of lost on my guys though....I usually only do it when there are guests who might appreciate it....Men!
Hugs to all of you!
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Hiccup! Maybe one too many cyberitas. You all need to drink faster!
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Hey Commando......my birthday is coming up on Feb 11th. I remember this time in 2007 I was just starting chemo. Funny how fast time flies but I'm happy to have made it to now and although the fight continues I'm up for it. Glad you are doing well, stay warm. Right now it's 56 degrees in san antonio so that's COLD enough for us folks.
I'm on my way for lab draws and I sort of hope my hemoglobin is low to explain this extreme fatigue and get and injection or something. Yesterday all day was spent on the sofa. NO kidding, I just got up to pee and eat a little something and back down. I don't feel "bad" just so tired.
Pat
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Vegas, my flight is Continental 1420 arriving at 1:38 PM on Sat. Jan. 17th. I would love to see you if time permits. Maybe our gates won't be too far apart.
Pat so good to hear from you. Hope your fatigue is from low blood counts. Could be an underlying infection too. I know at times I have had a bladder infection and even before the urinary symptoms appeared, the severe fatigue would hit me. Be sure they check for infection. {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Pat}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Marsha and Twink}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}.Love and hugs to all of you , Sammie Kay
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Hi all
Well got through the 2 year mammo fine - thank goodness, I was getting myself quite worked up about it. The BS does want me to see the rheumatologist about my shoulder which has been troiubling me so will do that sometime, otherwise she was really pleased and was delighted that I have lost 26lbs since I saw her in August. My goal is to lose the same again by the I see her again in July/August.
Pat I do hope you are feeling less tired. /Don't worry about spending time resting, your body obviously needs it. {{{{{{Pat}}}}}}}
Sammie Kay have a lovely holiday.
Big hugs {{{{{{{{Marsha and Twink}}}}}}}}
Thinking of you all.
Alyson
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Congrats Alyson, wonderful... good for you on the weight-loss plan... Bea needs a strong granny to play (and much more...).
SammieKay and vegas, I sure hope you can hug one another somewhere between gates...
Marsha, Pat, Twink, thinking of you always.
Starting a new day with no bathroom... will have to go shower at a friend's tomorrow morning before my onc appt... :-)
I am back to the office where I used to work prior to dx... it's a lovely big room under the roof, with "a view" on the blvd and the trees (better in the Summer and Fall, of course)... but I have to carry Toby (30lbs and some) up and down the steep stairs... a bit achy lower back this morning... our camping toilet is a big help... for a coffee drinker... Well, I have a deadline to meet today... better get going.
Leah, drive safely with this cold weather (here the snow is almost all gone already and streets are dry, great climate).
Love to all... C.
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Sammie Kay, I have your flight info and I will try to make it to see you! (My southern relatives seem to live by the southern no hurry rule and it drives me crazy!) Look for a gal with two brown carryons and chin length brown hair with highlights and a black coat with a hood. And bring the long underwear - it is FREEZING here, literally!!!
Catherine, my niece can relate to the no bathroom. Her well pump went out (waiting for parts to be delivered) and she has a nine month old. Every day she has to go over to my sister's to shower and wash the baby's bottles.
Leah, so glad you are enjoying your new job. I am sure it is wonderful to be back!
Alyson, wonderful about the weight loss and the clear mammo! Woo hoo!!!
Pat, an early happy birthday to you. I am a February baby too and lost my hair just in time for the one in 2007. I hope you can get your hemoglobin up, my dear, and thinking about you and sending lots of prayers for all who are still in the battle. Marsha and Twilah, hope to hear from you both soon.
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Morning all
It is a wet Sunday morning here the rain is needed for the garden.
Talking about bathrooms. We had a very fraught day yesterday. Couldn't get the timber we wanted to build a cupboard in the guest room, couldn't agree on the doors though we eventually sorted that out. Took the old wallboard off the wall in another room to replace it with plaster board and discovered the shower had been leaking but decided that could be OK as it was dry. Opened up more wall and there was an active leak. The plumber is coming tomorrow to tell us what need doing though I know that it will mean a new shower as the first leak turned out to be really bad when we pulled up some flooring in the bathroom. Have a carpenter on standby as well because some floorboards look really bad. ARG!!!!!
This is the problem with having an old house 125years old and it is heritage classified as well.
Must get myself moving as I am on morning tea at Church.
Have a happy weekend.
Alyson
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Well, I missed Sammie Kay at the airport. My cousin and aunt "surprised" us by coming to visit in Atlanta on Friday afternoon and by the time I got to the airport after an extended round of "goodbyes" not to mention the slowest car rental return people in history, I was rushing just to make my own gate. They started boarding a mere 3 minutes after I got there and I almost forgot to put on my compression sleeve. Thank goodness I had checked in online and only had carryons! I usually arrive VERY early at airports and I was totally stressed out.
Sorry to hear about your bathroom woes, Alyson. My niece called me just a bit ago to let me know they got the new well pump installed and she was so relieved. Did they find any mold at the active leak? I don't know how it is there, but in Las Vegas mold is a huge issue and the mold remediators charge an arm and a leg. Rather than do that, I personally would just have all the wall board and/or flooring torn out (erring on the side of caution and tearing out more than necessary), clorox the he** out of everything in the immediate vicinity several times, replace the wall board and then clorox again for good measure.
How are you feeling Marsha, Pat and Twilah?
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Happy Sunday, all!
Another snowy day. another 8+ inches. I am so sick of this, I can't tell you. Except that it is happening on a weekend, so I don't have to drive in it!
I have had a wonderful week at work. So happy to be back in the groove!
Hope all of you are sane and happy.
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OMG - had 4 pages to catch up on and I deeply apologize for my ignorance of all that's happening.
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha - I'm so sorry I haven't kept up with the news. It's certainly not that you all have been out of my mind - quite the contrary. I promise I'll try to check in at least every couple days though. Hoping for only the best for you and that you'll kick some serious ass with this last bump.
Twink - good to see your posts. Hope you're feeling well. Be glad you're in Texas - been brutal in PA this week.
Pat - well wishes for you too.
Sammy Kay - my sympathies regarding your brother. Glad your surgeries went well. I do hope you find someone who can make your reconstruction satisfactory.
Alyson - what an adorable baby and beautiful daughter.
Jan - nice that you got to spend Christmas with your Marine son - he's sure been thru the mill.
Terry - please lets get rid of these temps - argh! I've had snow and ice cover since November.
Leah - good to hear you're happy with the job. Sure makes a big difference in overall satisfaction with our professional lives. If you get back to PA, let me know.
Catherine - loved (of course) the description of your dinner party cuisine.
Carynn - Melanie - Vegas - Hillary: greetings!
Been in the middle of hardware evaluations/acquisitions/implementations - hence the long periods of no posts. About the time I think I have a few minutes to catch up, the phone rings or my IM lights up and then I forget about it. Then there's federal jury duty. Good grief, after 14-16 hours/day on the computer, I just want to get away from it for awhile. After mid-February, things should slow down a bit - hopefully in time for Bike Week. Be back soon.
Hugs!
Phyl
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Hi all
Great to see you post Phyl, wondering where you were. I must contact my aunt and see how she is getting on - she lives in Pottsville PA
Vegas, yes mould is a real issue here which is why I fresked when I saw it. We cloroxed the side of the wall we had exposed but I just want everything around the shower ripped out and replaced. Plumber comes tomorrow as will a carpenter friend who is going to advise us on what next. Anyway went out and picked a new shower today so I know what I want.
Don't know if it was just stress but the joint pain has been shocking, even got up in the night and watched TV.
I had to rush off for a minute to rescue my muffins which look good. I had a whole lot of blueberries which needed using so I made muffins with excess berries in them.
I am trying to transcribe an old document at the monent so I had better get back to that.
Big hugs
Alyson
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Leah... speaking of groove... non... rien de rien... je ne regrette rien.... Thank you
Melanie
.Phyl, you sound full of energy... good to see you back.
Alyson, fortunately we do not have to deal with those problems here: rust and mildew are 2 words which disappeared from our vocabulary in Denver (but were a constant worry in Britanny, same climate as yours, minus the heat). Our little house was built in 1906 and we are only the 5th owners... very sound and healthy place, no bad surprise behind the walls... but we won't see a shower for another week... they are doing a great job, I must say, with hydrofuge boards, etc... right now it's bare wood, backward a century... they knew how to build houses...
Saw the onc on Friday: graduated to one visit every 6 months now... unless the blood run comes back abnormal (in which case they would call, otherwise they just mail the results... no news, good news, so I don't want to hear from them). And I'll start with the osteopathe (DO) next Friday...
Have been really busy here (constantly vacuuming and cleaning, and DH does it a lot too, so much dust), bracing for another week of camping... and a deadline (did not even start yet, due mid week... wishful thinking). The good news is the weather is gorgeous!! Sunny and mild, every body was in shorts and T-shirt at the park, windows open, great for the work still to be done (I hear you Leah on the snow... so far, very little here, all gone, except in the high country).
Marsha, Twilah, Pat... sending you sunny thoughts from the Rockies.
Hugs to all,
Catherine
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Good morning everyone! I will sure hate to see this 3 day weekend come to an end. I sure like sleeping until 7 instead of 4:30! Feels like noon! So the AZ Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl! Who'd a thunk it??
Leah - I'm really happy to hear that you like the new job! I've been at mine for 25 years (I was 10 when I started!
) It would be really hard for me to try something / someplace different.
Terry - I finally put those other decorations away. Maybe I should post where so that I can find them again come Christmas!
Pat - How are you feeling? Did you get your counts up? Thinking of you. (((Pat)))
SammieKay & Vegas - I'm sorry you guys missed each other. Having never met anyone from the boards, we were all watching with interest!
Alyson - You are so right! I actually have the mammo in a few weeks, but had my appt with a new Rad Onc. I didn't switch by choice, but I like this one and PA even better. It was a very through exam and I left feeling great. I'll be glad to get this months appoints behind me and hit that two year mark.
Catherine - How is the remodel coming? Are they getting close?
Phyl - How nice to see you!! I know exactly what you mean. Things have been crazy both at home and work, leaving me with less me time on the computer. It's great to see you!
Also thinking of Twink, Marsha, and everyone else this time of year. This is when I found all of (((YOU))).0 -
Phyl, hello to you too! And isn't it nice to be looking forward to Bike Week this year instead of chemo! Just think where we all were two years ago at this time. Hard to believe it has already been that long.
Caryn, I was so disappointed to miss Sammie Kay. I have two major afflictions that usually present at the same time: SJS, survivor junkie syndrome, and OCHD, obsessive compulsive hugging disorder. I have been so lucky to have literally met over 100 women from the FORCE board (they are of course a much larger group and well organized at the local levels), but I have not yet met any of our small band of February chemo cruisers in the flesh. There is nothing like looking into the eyes of someone whose soul you have already met online. Or those restaurant bathroom show and tells.
Catherine - woo hoo! Once every six months!! I am hoping to get the all clear for that as well on my next onc visit on the 27th. It's almost creepy knowing we are not being watched as closely, isn't it? I never thought I would be a bit nervous about NOT going for a doctor's appointment!
Leah, congrats on the new job and hope it keeps getting better while the snow keeps melting. As long as you don't have to drive in it, it is pretty to watch though.
By the way - GO CARDS!!
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UGH!! Just got back from a weeks worth of hospitalization! No it wasn't my counts after all --as a matter of fact all my labs were great. But I was short of breath, very fatigued and when the nurse at the office saw me sign in she made me see my onc. who admitted me right away. My room air oxygen level was 87 - normal is 92-100% and my pulse rate was 136/ min. They wanted to make sure I didn't have a pulmonary embolism going on. So all kinds of cat scans, heart echocardiograms, chest xrays and finally a bronchoscopy to make sure no mets to lungs.
The cat scan showed no new cancer but changes in the lining of my lungs most likely due to radiation and chemo reaction so that bought me 6 days of hospital oxygen, IV antibiotics, steriods. Thank God no embolism though and no cancer. The heart scan was good, the regular chest xray showed both right and left lobe, upper and lower ends with infiltrates consistent with pneumonia. So the pulmonologist --who is absolutely awesome-- wanted to do a bronchoscopy where they pass a small fiberoptic scope thru your nose all the way into your lungs and he can see everthing and anything going on. I was scared of this procedure because he has to "wash" areas and all I could think of was I can't breathe as it is and now their going to put water in there???? Well all that worrying for nothing as it didn't feel a thing and woke up like nothing had been done. He said the lungs looked good except for chronic inflammation which he also thinks is due to the rads and chemo as well as pneumonia going on, but no evidence of cancer. Again thanks to God!!
Due to inablilty to be without oxygen for now, I'm on home oxygen, antibiotics and steriods until such a time as my lungs can clear up. My oncologist feels certain we can reverse this but unknown how long it will take. So for now no more abraxane, just avastin. Right now on oxygen my level is 93% and my heart rate although better is still running 101-119. It's just this lung condition that has to be reversed. But I feel great so that counts for alot!! Thanks everyone! Alyson, you are a DEAR!!
Pat
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oh Pat, what a journey!! You must be relieved, though, to be on that regimen after checking all the pissibilities... Sounds like you have a good medical team... Hang in there and rest...
{{{{{{{{{{{{{PAT}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Catherine (with temperatures as good as in Texas!!)
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Pat, so good to hear you are clear for cancer and hope your docs can get the pneumonia under control ASAP! It is just so scary every time we get an ache or pain or illness until we know what this cause is. Hope you are feeling much better very soon!!!!!
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Just poping in to say hello.
Pat - My goodness! I am so happy that you are feeling better now. And some good news to boot! Please take care of you and dont over-do it. Sending you a big hug and get well wishes!
Waving to all - see you soon!
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