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Terry, I was thinking of Tink also. So hope we haven't heard from her cause she is doing well and having a great summer. And the group dance was meant to be a great hug also!
Sammie Kay, I am looking for a very special dance for you right now. It will be here before you know it! Glad the last tx hasn't caused the dreaded nausea.
Twilah, girl I am so thinking of you. I talked to God a little while ago, big long, serious talk and he assured me your paths would come back clean as a whistle. Big hug honey, hang in there.
Hey Catherine how's it going with you? I noticed the "dirty" head look also. Could be brown instead of gray! How nice to have Peters friend coming this weekend. Are you cooking something special for him? I say do that souffle` thingy again that goes "poof" when you stick your fork in it!
Leah I am thinking no news is good news maybe? We just had our season of sweet corn. Been eating alot of it cooked on the grill, yummy.
Phy., LOL at Hannah! I love labs. I started out getting tanned also and have now moved to red on the thin part of my chest (clavical node area) and have a few little blister kind of areas. That's what I get for being so thin apparently. Anyhoo, I'm doing OK, more of a pain in the butt to go everyday than eanything else! Friday was #13 for me. How many are we doing anyway? I think 33?
Karen, how has your rads gone? Hope as easily as the rest of us. You have had the worse SE of anyone it seems.
Carynn, hey hey hey sounds like you are feeling pretty good. I never watched Deadwood but am addicted (no pun intended) to Weeds on Showtime. I rented the first season, am waiting for the 2nd season to come out on DVD in two weeks then switched from HBO to Showtime so I could watch season 3. hahah funnnnnnnny show.
Hillary, how is the hair coming in for you? I want to know what the heck this eye hair thing is. My hair is definately come in thinck but the taxol has slowly taken every facial hair! NO eyebrows or eyelashes. I look like a guppy.
Anyone but me getting tired of this?? LOL
Love you guys and a big hello to any I missed! Marsha0 -
Hi!
I went to the salon where I get my haircut. One of the women who works in the salon was diagnosed a few months after me with almost exactly the same diagnosis. She just finished AC and will be starting taxol next week. While I was there, I showed my "hair" (notice the quotes!) to my hairstylist. He seems to think that in another month or so, my hair will be long enough for him to color and shape a bit. It would be wonderful if it could be done before I go back to work, towards the end of August. I'm certainly not going topless with all the grey that is growing in!
Marsha, I hear you on the guppy look. My brows and lashes fell out during taxol, so I'm in the growth phase right now. My eyebrows are still in the filling-in process ... they look a little strange. My eyelashes are quite full, but very, very, very short. I know from reading posts from previous chemo cruises that they will all fall out again, maybe even a couple of times. The way I understand it, our eyebrows and lashes normally fall out, but the process is staggered among all the hairs, so it's not noticeable. When we first get the new brows and lashes, they are all on the same schedule, so to speak.
SammieKay -- I'm so glad to hear that you are coping well with the FAC! Only one more to go!
Catherine -- Now that you are in vacation mode, we expect to hear more about cooking!
Terry -- Take it easy at work on Monday. I know that after I was done, I felt psychologically lifted, but my body let me know that I was still feeling the effects.
Twilah -- We're holding your virtual hands and biting our virtual nails with you, as you wait results ...
OK, better finish up before the computer eats my message ...
Hugs to everyone,
Hillary0 -
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What fun! And great pixs!! You are a biker babe!
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Jan, great pictures... I understand now why it would have been difficult to drop by for coffee...
looks like a fun group of great buddies... You look good with your short hair... I hope I'll be there soon, hairwise... a long way to go, though 
I am glad that you could have this wonderful trip and have fun... how did it work with your DH crutchers?
The best of week-end to you all... Marsha, you got the right pix...
Hugs,
Catherine0 -
Boy I can hardly wait till my scalp gets "covered" enough to go topless like our resident biker gal! And oh yea, we just returned from our July 4th vacation and I was looking at our pictures....WHEN DID I GET SO FAT!?? Wow, I was floored when I saw myself, and my daughter says "yea, but your skin looks so CLEAR." I guess her nice way of avoiding my fat question. Time to get to work on losing pounds now.
Hope everyone had a nice 4th!
Pat0 -
Great pictures Jan. What a fun experience you must have had. We own a Suzuki Dealership here in Victoria,TX. However, we don't ride. The sailboat is more our speed. I have two sons who ride. My oldest, 44, rides enduro dirt bikes in the hills around Austin, Tx. My younger son 39, rides a Harley and goes to rallys.
I have had several compliments on my skin(face) since being on chemo. I think it is the extra weight and no wrinkles. Genetic thing, we sag, but not many wrinkles.
Pat, do you live in Corpus or Texas, or did you travel from out of state for the 4th of July.
Have a great weekend and I will check in on everyone tomorrow. Love to all, Sammie0 -
Sammi, I live in San Antonio but for many years it's been tradition for our family to gather in Corpus for the 4th. It's not the same since Mom died but we try to keep this one holiday we siblings gather together.
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Pat and SammieKay -- I got the same comments about my skin when I was still packing my chemo weight! Now that I've lost a few pounds, my face looks "old" again! I did notice last night that I've got the light facial downy hair back on my cheeks. Still no leg hair - lol!
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Deadwood... Carynn thanks for the update, we had to rent the last dvd on it after we dropped the satillite service. Had wondered why it didn't have a real ending. Will be watching for the movie to come out on DVD. Crazy western wasn't it, nothing like it, Jane sure cussed up a storm!
Just here trying to catch up on some reading, great to see the happy dances!!!
We had two eye openers on the trip, on the way to Denver a semi swerved into our lane in front of us and slammed on the brakes due to an accident in the other lane as others moved over causing the braking. Had a tour bus right behind us, all I could think of was OMG!
Then on the way home a full sized van nearly hit us head on as he passed a semi truck and left us with just inches to spare in our lane (2 lane road) when he finally slipped in front of the semi! 
Most exciting ride we did? Lookout Mountain in Golden, CO...we zig zagged across the face of the mountain to get to the top. Didn't have time to see Buffalo Bill's grave there. As we went up the side, I couldn't look out, I kept looking at the mountain instead! I am hoping the grandaughter of a friend who was behind us got some pics to share with me. Afterwards a CO rider told me that sometimes the crosswinds are really bad up there, luckly we didn't have even a breeze that day. The very next day there was alot of high winds in Denver and 5 tornados in the state and hail in Golden. Talk about timing it just right. This year there were 6 riders hurt, one happened in the parking lot of the hotel, some gal on a cell phone did a U turn in front of a rider just getting back from a ride and he dropped the bike rather than hit the car. He ended up with a broken collar bone and 4 broken ribs.
While in Illinois I stopped by to see the mink ranch I worked at across the field from Mom's place. Found out he had been dealing with cancer too and had 12 chemo treatments ending in October. He showed me his new toys, a huge motor coach (took a 7 week vacation in it already) and a brand new red corvette! Funny how many of us are taking trips after finishing cancer treatments....0 -
I updated my pic to show me going topless during this trip. I had a couple of incidents where a lady stepped in front of me and pulled on the bathroom door as I was waiting by myself to be the next to go in. I guess they thought I was a man with such short hair or they were very rude! Both turned around after seeing the door was locked and said "OH!" I did startle one lady in a restruant in Golden, Colorado as I was getting ready to leave the bathroom. She opened the door and jumped, looked up and then looked down to see I had boobs then walked in with an embarrassed look on her face. I took it that she thought I was a man in the ladies room until she checked my chest!!! I did have one waitress say "sir" then she corrected herself when she looked at my chest! I thought it was funny how it was women who were making a mistake of my gender and no men did. Does that mean women look at the head first then the chest and men look at the chest then the head to figure out genders???? LOL, too funny.
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Good Evening Ladies,
I am home from my surgery. I am doing really good,a little pain but nothing a pill can not cure. I had to stay 3 nights in the hospital. I had my port removed, and my implants in. Because of the last infection they had to do a diiferent kind of surgery which is called Latissimus Dorsi Flapon the right side.I will write more later, glad to hear from all of you.
Theresa0 -
Hi Ladies,
I have not checked in lately. But was wondering how you are all doing. From all the posts, I see there have been some ups and downs. But as usual you all seem to bounce back and keep that positive attitude shinning.
Nice photo's of bikes, gardens, hair do's, cakes etc....
I missed alot:)
It was refreshing to read your posts and know that you are all doing well.
I have been on and off the Tamoxifen. Still having some issues with ovaries and I am going to look for another ultrasound as the pain never really goes away all together.
It has been there intermittently since the chemo.
My boys are doing well, playing ice hockey (yes in florida)and baseball also. Mom's taxi service is in full swing this summer.
Best wishes and my prayers go out for whatever need you have.
Stay safe and happy.
Later.......
Jel.0 -
Greeting from a wet cold NZ.
We are experiencing really bad weather at the moment. I am so envious of you with the lovely sunny weather but not the heat wave that some parts are experiencing. The south of the country is having snow and is so cold that they are advising people to stay indoors. This is very unusual here.
I love the guppy illusion, because thats extactly what my eyes look like. I get to the end of chemo and my eyelashes all depart leaving me with funny red eyes. Worst thing is that they are very sticky each morning. Hair is not growing anywhere yet.
Pleased to hear most are going well with treatment and are managing life a little better. SammieKay, how many more FACs do you have? Very interested in the port removals and how they are done in the US. Pleased all went well Theresa.
Returned yesterday from a weekend away. Went to Rotorua, the thermal region of the country, not that we went to any of the thermal parks this time. On Sunday night we caught up with friends who we had known when we lived in the area 25 years ago. Had a great time but it was so cold. This was the first time I had been away from home since diagnosis.
Have both DDs here at present and DH didn't go to work as he was getting thing for the builder. We are getting plaster board put up in our living/dining room so that we can paint and paper. DD1 arrived to see what was going on and we got DD2 to come round to help her father investigate a leak in the roof.
DH is actually not very well and is waiting a date to have another angiogram. He had a new and special stent put in his heart last year but it appears that something has gone wrong with it. We really didn't need this just now.
Must get some afternoon tea made for every one.
Hugs to all.
Alyson0 -
Alyson -- I'm sorry to hear about your dh. At least you're done with chemo treatments. Do both DD's live close enough to help out?
Jel -- Nice to hear from you ... Get those ovaries checked! When I had bad ovary pain, it turned out to be ovarian cysts due to an IUD. Once the IUD was removed, cysts and pain went away. I hope that your pain turns out to be as benign ...
Theresa -- How wonderful that your surgery went well. I hope that you are still feeling good!
Jan -- I think you're right about where men look first! BTW, your hair looks great!!
It's a quiet week, with only Belinda's taxol on Friday, and also Melanie's one-step alloderm construction. Hugs out to both of you!
Hugs to all,
Hillary0 -
Goodness Hillary, you are AMAZING...keeping up with all of us! You are such a sweetie! I would just love to meet all of the amazing women here. Yes, I am getting ready to head to NY for my surgery. I have been trying to keep up with all you ladies, I just am swamped and can't seem to sit down and reply to everyone. Shame Shame on Me! I did do my bone/ct scans yesterday and got the All Clear Mate today! I am soooo relieved.
One thing for sure...I should have time to post while recouping in the hotel room!
I think of you all often!0 -
I haven't been around much because I've been a little preoccupied with worrying about the path report on the nodes taken last week. I'm so freaking relieved....14 nodes taken, 14 nodes clean... (sigh) Enough said...I'll be back.
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Twink and Melanie...great reports, congrats! I know thats a big thing off your shoulders right now!
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WWWwwwhhhhooooo!!! That's awesome news twink!!
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I would be dancing too if I had got such a report. Anyway I can dance with you Twink.
Alyson0 -
While I check in and celebrate Twink's and Melanie's good news, here's a little of my own. I got my genetic testing back today and tested NEGATIVE (does that make me quad negative?
) for both the BRCA1 & BRCA2 genes.
So Twink and Melanie, here's to us!
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Twink,
So happy that the nodes were negative! I understand the role of nodes in prognosis, and yours is so good! Congratulations!0 -
Melanie, fab to hear from you and best of look in New York getting your new boobies.
Twilah I have to say I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO relieved for you. What is next?? Marsha
Oh Carynn a quad neg....... you are so unique!0 -
I slept last night without the help of a sleeping pill...the first time in weeks. Yesterday's news was SUCH a relief and I know you all understand better than most. I wish I was completely node negative but I still have to deal with the fact that the two sentinel nodes and one other axillary node had micromets...soooo small in two them they barely 'qualify' as micro mets (0.2 mm - 2.0 mm = micromets, <0.2 mm = isolated tumor cells). In the case of these nodes, one had 0.25 mm, another 0.35 mm and the third (1st in line sentinel node) had 2.0 mm (right at the upper limit of micromets). They're gone now, which is a relief but I guess I'll have to wait for the opinion of the surgeon and oncologist as to next steps to deal with the fact that they count as positive. I suspect radiation (which is a bummer for these new puppies) but we'll see. I was thinking of asking the oncologist for more chemo (believe it or not) since I did tolerate it pretty well and would feel more comfortable with a little more systemic treatment because of the nodes. He says there's no evidence to support the efficacy of this approach. I say...BAH!
I'd like to take the time to respond to each of you...there's so much going on here that I want to comment on, offer congratulations and words of encouragement... but I think I let myself get too far behind and will no doubt miss somebody doing it from memory. So, I'll just say 'you guys are great' and offer special congratulations to Melanie and Carynn on their test results. As Melanie said, I'd love to meet you all in person one of these days... we should talk about a little reunion when we're through our treatment plans.
Good luck to you Melanie...I'm 5 weeks out from the mastectomy and reconstruction and feeling pretty good (feel free to PM me anytime).
Luckymel...you out there? How're you making out with your recovery?
I want to write about 'staging' but I'll save that for later...
Hugs, dancing in cicles, listening to bad 80's music and singing along (wondering when I learned all the lyrics)....love ya!
Twilah0 -
Good Morning Ladies,
So far the new boobs and back itch like crazy. Scott said that I need to stop scratching the back but boy is that hard when it itches really bad. Yesterday I was doing good when all at once I felt sick. I ended up loosing my cookies for about 4 hours. I am not sure what happen. I had eaten breakfast and taken my meds but this came on 3 hours after that. I missed Brandon's soccer game, first one for the summer and they one. He was the goalie. Last night I started felling better and ate some watermellon and strawberries and they stayed down. I have to see the doc. this morning so I will see what he says. I love not haveing the port pushing on my chest. I am looking forward to the day when this is all done. I was reading in some of post where people say you look good. I want to know what I looked liked before the cancer came into my body because I do not recall anyone saying then that I looked good! I know some mean well but I am tired of that line. Or the other line call me if there is anything I can do. I would be rich if I had a penny for that line. At least we are getting closer to the end of this chapter of our lifes and I have learned a lot from this. I am trying to help other ladies in our town go down the bc road. Well I better go and get ready for the apt. We have a little ride to get there. Have a great day.
Love,
Your bc sister
Theresa0 -
Hi all,
I am on day 8 of third FAC. One more to go, Alyson. That will be July 24th.
This third FAC kicked my butt. I didn't have nausea, but much more indigestion, heartburn etc. Also, so tired. I am so tired of the whole ordeal. I seem to remember that some of you had certain treatments that hit hard. I guess it is part of it. If this is cummulative, I dread #4.
Congrats to Carynn and Twink on good news from pathology. And everone else who had gotten their results.
I haven't been told if I will have any after testing. I have had the bil. mastectomy and nodes tested already. So I guess when I finish, I finish.
Good luck Melanie on your reconstruction.
I am not going to address the PS until I finish chemo. I have plenty of time and don't feel like having any surgery anytime soon. I want my system to be clear of the chemo before we start that.
Well, guess I will go now. NOt my usual chatty self. A little down. I have slept alot today. I think tomorrow will be a better day.
Thinking of everyone, Catherine, Marsha, Hillary,and how about Lucky Mel? Let us hear from you. Theresa, congrats on the surgery. They showed me a picture of the latismus surgery and it freaked me out. Sounds like you handled it very well. It looked really tough, pulling a muscle and skin from the back to the front of the body. You are one tough lady.LOL
Love to all, Sammie Kay0 -
Quote:
While I check in and celebrate Twink's and Melanie's good news, here's a little of my own. I got my genetic testing back today and tested NEGATIVE (does that make me quad negative? ) for both the BRCA1 & BRCA2 genes.
So Twink and Melanie, here's to us!
Excellent news!!!! I'm still waiting to hear about mine yet! Maybe I will get a report in the middle of August when I have a check up with my BC surgeon.0 -
Good morning ladies how is everyone?
Twilah honey I am so happy for you. I had one micro met also and it freaked me out! I did surgery first so knew from the beginning about it. I am not going to say "rads are a piece of cake" cause I think that is horse sh**. It is a pain in the ass, in my opinion, and since I am small with not a lot of skin and no breast tissue there, I am burnt to a crisp! BUT if you have to do it you can just because YOU ARE WOMAN HEAR YOU ROAR LOL Love ya
Carynn where are you sweetie?????
Sammie Kay, #3 A/C kicked my butt but #4 was not as bad. Go figure that and I think others here said the same thing.
Theresa, sooo glad you surgery is over and you are on the mend. I looked at those pics also and thought EEEWWW I can't do that! Well that is true, I am not a candidate for any of the using your own body parts to make a boob theory. HAHA I'm really glad you are around more often now. I couldn't agree more with the lame comments. I have gotten to where I just say "Doing great!" so everyone will shut up about it.
I so wish we could figure out a way to meet. Wouldn't it be fun say Feb 2008 to find a central location to meet up??? Anybody's family own a hotel? haha Carynn works for IT, maybe she can find cheap flights??
Love to all my Feb girls! Marsha0 -
Sweet Marsha, I wished you were not such a "crisp" cruiser... radiotherapy does wonders but like the rest of it, unfortunately, it is not completely inocuous... I hope they give you what's needed to alleviate the burns.
Twilah, needless to say I am jumping in the middle of the penguin dance to hop around, too, and sing HURRAH... are the 14 nodes all axillary or part are the sentinelle nodes? I like the picture of you singing in your kitchen on tunes you even were not aware you knew...
Melanie, I was missing you and your lovely smile... wishing you the very best for your surgery...
SammieKay, hang in there... almost done, dear friend...
Hillary, you are a darling... thank you for keeping up with us (I go for my Avastin on Tuesday, no port this time...).
Theresa, take care of yourself, now... all this surgery has been a lot on you... hope you and Scott are enjoying the summer.
Jan, what are you doing now, after the trip... enjoying horses and farm work?
Carynn, let us know about your days... hope you're feeling OK and not too hot... what's the new TV series you're in?
Our guests have come and gone... and we are enjoying peaceful days... I keep a low profile for not getting started on a new project too soon... I have been in heaven, reading for hours at a time on a chaise longue in the shade and now finishing with regrets a book that I really like very much: it is a French author (37 y. old woman) named Anna Gavalda, and this book has been translated under the title "Hunting and Gathering" (although the French title says "Together, that's all")... I love it, but I have no idea how the translation reads... when you know Paris and French way(s) of life, it is truly wonderfully written, analyzed, great characters (it's a novel, but could be a journalistic piece in psychology)... I never heard about the author before, but her books have been big hits, they say... I may buy the translation to see how good it is...
I'll stop by the radiology surgeon tomorrow morning because a small spot is bleeding slightly in the scar from the port removal... hope I do not need more stiches... oh, well... it is so nice to be rid of the port...
Cooking for company has been minimal... but nice summer meals... we smoked good chicken parts and baby back ribs in our H2o smoker... the Texas way, with Good BBQ Company sauce shipped from Houston... it was as good as we remember it... no margharitas, though... I never even tried to fix those (but I love them). I reacquainted myself with some nice chardonnay (to go with a very good seafood pasta salad) and a zinfandel... my taste is fine, now, even though my tongue feels funny at times... I live on kefir and yogurt (it's cool and good for you). And dark chocolate... I better watch my weight, because Tamox is not going to help in that department... After almost 2 months on it, no real problems, but phenomenal hot flashes...
My eyebrows are coming back, it's interesting: they look like a dark blueish line for now, but I can feel the "brush" feeling, same for eyelashes, and my head looks darker every day (so I won't be all white after all...)... all this is already making me look less like a chemo patient and more like a punk... or an escapee from jail... may have to consider piercing and tattoos... Definitely on the road to normalcy... I am ecstatic about it...
Well, dear friends... that was my little chat with you... I have been reading the posts every day, but did not have much time to write... I go back to my book, but I hate the idea of finishing it since I do not want to part with the characters...
I received a CD of Russian lithurgy music, beautiful, and an Agnus Dei by a contemporary composer (Barber, from Poland...??) absolutely fabulous... for those who like sacred music.
Big hugs to all of you, nice ladies...
Till next time,
Catherine0 -
Hi everyone! Yes, I'm still here. Went back to work full time on Monday. If I dont get a chance to post before I leave in the morning, I ususally cant. I'm in the office between 6-630 so I'm home by 4 or so. By the time we have dinner and relax a bit, I'm done. I'm also having a lot of problems with my RA. We decided to change my meds (I'll have to give myself shot now), but the prescription wont be here for a week. ALMOST makes me miss chemo as I was in a complete remission.
It's been a busy couple of weeks as well, our anniversary, the 4th and DH's birthday all fall one week after another. The pool gets alot of use!
I've been trying to keep up wiht the posts. Wow! There were a ton for me to go thru today! Theresa, Melanie and Hockey Mom, good to hear from you! Catherine, I loved your post and got a good laugh of the idea of you trying piercings and tats.
Take care everybody. Love to all,0
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