MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

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  • nativemainer
    nativemainer Member Posts: 7,898

    Macatacmv--when we get a lot coming at us, it can take very little to topple the apple cart, emotionally.A walk on the beach with the dog and a handful of tissues sounds like a good response.So sorry for your loss.

    Eph--grief has no timetable.

    Elimar--thanks for the reminder to move forward in 2017.

  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    Has anyone done Taxol before? Had my 7th one on Wednesday and was doing ok with them until now. Knocked me on my ass. Didn't even get a boost from the steroids. Have felt sick, tired and weak not to mention the mental games all this crap does to you . I have to take medsto calm down when I get up lately.

  • Lita57
    Lita57 Member Posts: 2,338

    Diana, I've never done taxol, but I do know that toxicity levels continue to build up with each infusion. Even on your off, recovery weeks there is still a residual amount that stays in your system. This stuff wears you down. It's heavy duty.

    I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences as well. The holidays take a lot out of us too, so it might be a combination of things.

    Take it easy and get plenty of rest. Hope you feel better soon.

    Lita


  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    Thanks Lita

  • Noni
    Noni Member Posts: 74

    Diana, I was on taxol for three months. It was around the 9th week that I begged my MO for a week off. I was fine emotionally but physically and mentally I was a complete wreck. My whole body hurt and I could barely put a clear sentence together. The week off helped, especially since it was the week before a scheduled week off so I had a 2 week break. I stopped taking it when scans showed progression.

    As for the emotional side, I've been using antidepressants and xanax for a while to help keep me calm. I'd be lost without them.

  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 2,845

    Diana, I had taxotere, which is basically the same stuff. All the oncs told me it would be a breeze compared to the much heavier stuff I had been on before. For me it wasn't. I had a lot of inflammation on taxotere, which caused pain and misery. Anti-inflammatories helped though, so talk to your onc.

  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 2,845

    My Happy New Year post:

    Happy New Year From Athens

  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    noni- doc doesn't do scans until close to end of treatment but blood work has greatly improved and tumor markers have gone from 205 to 132. I was hoping markers would go down at a faster pace. Been up since 4:30 feeling sick to my stomach and a bundle of nerves. I take Xanax when I go to bed as they make me tired. Maybe I need to take a half in the morning too. I try to keep busy but hard to do when you feel like crap.

    Momine- I have had a lot of swelling in my feet and ankles but it is improving with the compression socks.

    Last chemo isn't until around 2/8. Seems like a long time to feel like crap and a total train wreck 😬

  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    imagestarted making messy bun/ponytail hats. Been making a ton of scarves too. I had been giving them away then decided to post them for sale on FB and so I could get some money back to buy more yarn lol. Pretty much sold out so making more at the wee hours of the morning.

  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 2,845

    Diana, it won't be this much crap the whole time. Put your feet up, wriggle your toes, swing your arms etc. Oh, and I found that eating anti-inflammatory food helped. Meaning, fatty fish, chili, whole grains.

  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    image

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,277

    DianaRose - those are gorgeous!!!

  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    sad to say another warrior on the peritoneal thread is now an angel. Hummingbird put up such a fight but suffered so much. So sad 😭. That's two new angels from that thread in a month. Really hit home. She will be greatly missed.

    Went back to the cancer center yesterday and got some IVfluids, nausea Med's and some steroids. Helped about 75 percent. They said I might have to do this for the last five infusions. Number 8 is tomorrow.

    El- how are you feeling these days and how is your scar healing?

    Not sure if I posted this already, but DH ordered me a new violin 🎻. It will be here Tuesday. So excited 😊. Haven't played since school so lessons are in the works.Hoping it will be a stress release and not more stress.

  • nativemainer
    nativemainer Member Posts: 7,898

    Diana--those are beautiful!You do a lovely job.Glad the fluids and such helped and you feel better.So sad to hear about Hummingbird.Hope the new violin brings you peace and stress release.

  • eph3_12
    eph3_12 Member Posts: 2,704

    All "Q" on the Middie front!

    If you enjoy musicals, go see "LaLa Land". It's great!

  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    is everyone hybernating

  • loral
    loral Member Posts: 818

    Diana....winter blahs, I've been sick since 1/3 bad cold....hope you are well, I'll try not to breathe on you...Winking

  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    winter blues here too.

    Loral- feel better

  • Lita57
    Lita57 Member Posts: 2,338

    Just took the tree down yesterday, 1/10. So gloomy now. Left the nutcrackers up, and I'll put them away next week. I have to take the decorations down in stages or I get too depressed. January is the longest, darkest month of the year for me. There's really nothing good to look forward to.

    How's everyone else handling the post holidays? My English bulldog sleeps most of the day. They do semi hibernate this time of year. Wish I could do that...just sleep until mid March.

    Stay healthy, Lita

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,277

    I agree with Lita. I hate January. I have a hard time getting motivated to do anything more than cooking one good meal or going to one doc appt. Sigh. This too shall pass.

  • Lita57
    Lita57 Member Posts: 2,338

    And it still gets dark way too early. You have to get your walk in before 4 pm. Been too cold and rainy to do too much outside.


  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,277

    Yeah Lita, I've been watching CA news since my son lives in San Francisco and I grew up on No. California. Wow what a mess. My favorite wines come from the area around the flooding Russian River. I learned how to both water ski and snow ski at Tahoe. And I camped at Yosemite right on the Merced river. OK ELI - I hope my memories don't count against the weather taboo. Sorry !!!

  • elimar
    elimar Member Posts: 5,885

    January is a long, dreary month; except if it is your birthday month, then there is a bit of fun in it. (MLK knows what I'm talkin' about.) To not let it get you down, you must come up with a plan. Something.

    Last year, I had that free one month trial for the Curves gym during January. I thought I might do that again, but as much as I liked the hydraulic weight machines, I hated the music they played in there. As much as I liked the economy of getting a pretty good workout in jut 30 minutes, I got a little bored of the routine even after a month. SO...

    This year, I'm committing to doing some fitness videos. Well, last year I got a real dorky workout DVD for $3.50. It was by the woman who used to be "Blair" on the Facts of Life t.v. show. I know, I know, if I really wanted to get buff, I should have kept hunting for a DVD with "Jo" instead. Anyway, it's pretty terrible. This year, I got a new DVD for $1.00, by someone named Tamilee. It's also terrible, but I think it will be effective if I can hang in there with it for a whole month. Not just because all workout videos get boring after the third time through, but this one does a lot of lunges and squats and my knees don't like that. Please understand, I now only work out to videos that are cheap, cheesy, and terrible; and every new year I get another one. So, woo-hoo January!

    I don't think it is right that I am having all the fun, so if any of you were to buy yourselves a really stupid exercise video (or you can always find something on the ol' TUBE of YOU,) I would not even shame you for being a copycat. I would applaud you for exercising and staying active. (Legend has it that activity and a healthy body weight lowers the risk of BC recurrence, so I have hardly gone off topic at all.) I don't know if any even exist, but I would totally be in AWE of you if you got a workout video with any cast member from an old sitcom (except Suzanne Sommers.)

    So, that is my suggestion (and challenge) to all Middies(*)---not those currently with energy impaired by active BC treatment---to liven up your January; and if anyone scoffs at your cheesy exercise video choice, just do what I do...shoot them a withering glance and tell them:

    HEY, EWE, GET OFF OF MCLEOD!

    image


    (*) As with any exercise, make sure you can handle it, blah, blah, blah, check with doctor, etc., because elimar cannot carry the guilt of your having a cardiac event just because you were exercising to a cheesy DVD she told you to get.


  • Noni
    Noni Member Posts: 74

    Elimar, your videos had my laughing. Thank you for that. I would like to suggest that everyone go check out Prancercise videos on YouTube. Perhaps a little, um, out of some of reach for some of us but you never know!


  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    I don't have the energy to exercise 😬. I am trying so hard to gain weight but it is a slow process. Saw a shrink yesterday and starting some medication as I can't seem to get my shit together. Starting violin 🎻 lessons on Monday in hopes it helps with my stress and depression. Been crocheting a lot but now I have a pile of hats ands scarves. I have one month of chemo left. Should find out the plan for after tomorrow. She had talked about Ibrance which does not sound like a good time from what I have read. Hubby never complains but can't help feeling like such a burden and that I am ruining all the plans he had for retirement. Thanks for letting me vent

  • elimar
    elimar Member Posts: 5,885

    Dianarose, The exercise post was not for you. The only weight I hope you will lift is to get that fork up to your mouth as many times as possible. Music is a cool idea for the winter doldrums. Good Luck on the violin. I remember playing violin in public school for a year til the elementary instrumental music program lost the funding. I remember playing (butchering) that student violin classic, "Long, Long Ago."

    Noni, I don't even remember you posting here before, but I can think of no better entree into our Middie society than with a PRANCERCISE VIDEO! I will obviously have to wait for Spring or Summer to go prancing at my local park, but that will only give me time to acquire a pearl choker and recruit someone to film me in a trucking shot like that video. When she said, "It's better to punch into space than punch someone in the face," she said that with real authority...like she has done BOTH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Noni, to welcome you, I am going to bust out a photo from my vault. Had it here some years ago, but I never get tired of it!

    image

    Poodlecise!

  • Dianarose
    Dianarose Member Posts: 1,951

    El- I eat and eat and the weight gain is slow. Putting me on a new Med and one of the side effects is weight gain 😁. I look like ET with peach fuzz. Chemo number 9 tomorrow. Three more after that. Light at the end of the tunnel. At least with Taxol.

  • Lita57
    Lita57 Member Posts: 2,338

    El, be sure to buy some leggings that don't give you a camel toe while you're prancing.

  • stellamaris
    stellamaris Member Posts: 313

    Diana...I picked up violin too after a lifetime, I was amazed at how quickly I learned to tead music again.. bless you...and I know how you feel about your DH, I do too. My sweetie told me no matter what, he can carry us both, and the alternative is not an option. My job is to fight. Hugs. January too, will pass.

  • eph3_12
    eph3_12 Member Posts: 2,704

    Ok Prancercise is awesome! I wonder what Dashercise, Dancercise, Vixencise, Cometcise, Cupidcise, Donnercise and Blitzencise encompass, although I can imagine!