August 2010...anyone starting chemo besides me?!
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I got food poisoning yesterday, tmi sorry, both ways, and still feel so bad. I was up just laying there with no covers on just freezing,Couldn't get me head togehter to find pajama top so was just in sleep bra.
Not fair, to double up.
Please forgive my moaning but moan moan moan, also peeing on myself too easily too. Still dehydrated from last night but afraid I will be sick again.
I did take one lorazepam this am and did sleep for several hours.
Bless you all for listening.
Ginger
I do not like feeling like this. At all!
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Happy Birthday Sohard!! And best of luck to Ann97, Omaz & of course Lizzy - just remember, everything is temporary - even chemo se's. This too shall pass.
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Lizzy- Good luck today with number one and anyone else who is doing 2nd or 3rd tx. I am alone on deck with a start date of 9/20.
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Gingerbrew: It's not fair!!! I hope you're feeling better!
Happy birthday (yesterday? sorry) Sohard!
And YEA for Lizzy! FINALLY, right? I think you should wear a big party hat and bring balloons with you today!
I'm going in for Tx number 3 myself. I'm going to ask that I not be given the dexamethasone because it's messing with my moods too much, not a good thing for me right now.
Good luck to Ann97 and Omaz and Lizzy today! And I hope the rest of you have a terrific "Look-at-me-I-don't-have-cancer-and-chemo-was-just-a-bad-dream" kind of day!
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Thanks for the well-wishes. I asked the acupuncturist to help me with the anxiety yesterday and did ok last night (even with the steroids). I am becoming a believer is acupuncture!
Adey - your start data may stand alone but YOU are NOT alone!!!!!
Thanks to everyone, I appreciate this group SO MUCH life right now would be so so much harder without you guys!
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Aw, tanks O!
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GOOD MORNING CHEMO-SABIS!!!!! YOUR FEARLESS LEADER IS REPORTING LIVE FROM CHEMO!!!!!
Adey: I will totally be there for you on the 20th and as I am no longer the one closing the August chemo parade, I will have to pass the big drum and hat to you so you can come up the rear and close the parade!!!!!! Glad you have a date.
Wherria: I hope your tx today is just LUSCIOUS!!!!!! I just asked for Vodka with my infusion....I don't have to tell you all the respones! Last night some joker agressed me with his truck as I was in the crosswalk heading into SUPER WALMART! In any case, this one is uber busy and the crosswalks are strictly adhered to, as they should be. The front of his truck got so close to me I called out "douche bag-you are suppose to wait until we are out of the crosswalk!!" to the cheer of a few traveling along in the crosswalk with me! Normally I might be vociferous or not...no way of being sure but I do suspect the steroids are kicking in fast! This might also be why I am called Your FEARLESS Leader!!!!!!!
Omaz: acupuncture is great. I am glad you are enjoying it! So perhaps SOMETHING good comes out of something bad?!! I thank you for your appreciate of the group and I appreciate you guys as well! We are very supportive and it is nice to have you all to talk with about all of this medical madness!
Ginger: I am so sorry to hear you got food poisoning. It is also so scary because you really don't know what is happening meaning is it SE or what. I think if it was a restaurant don't hold it against them as it is probably just that your WBC are low and you can't fight off what you normally might. Surely it is not a good sign either but I would take it in stride. I sure hope you are feeling better. Eating out too much, in this economy, especially in the major cities, scares me because so many restaurants are having troubles making it by, my feeling is they might be selling meat etc... that normally would be tossed. I hate to think that but I have been cautious about eating out these past few years since this massive dip in the econ all except for taking a risk with those mussles last night!
OK CHEMO-SABIS>>>MY PERSONAL REQUEST TODAY, OF ALL OF YOU, IS THAT YOU TRY TO PUT A GOOD FACE ON BC AND TRY TO REPRESENT YOURSELVES AS WELL AS YOU CAN SO PEOPLE SEE US AS SURVIVORS AND NOT AS VICTIMS
Your FEARLESS Leader!
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GINGERBREW: Good Lawd, enough is enough. Food poisoning on top of everything else, totally unfair. OMAZ: I completely agree with you about this group of winners. I have a great family, friends and support system but this is where I can come and talk about BREAST CANCER and all the good, bad and ugly of it and not feel self indulgent or whiny. Ok, a little whiny. I'm still on hold for round #2 which should have been tomorrow but I will have blood work done to check on liver enzyme levels, any Cipro should be out of my system by then. Funny, I'm so ready for second infusion, but ask me 4 days after and I may say "What was I thinking". At least I will be armed with neupogen and Xanax this time and hopefully omit the no sleep and low WBC. Good luck Lizzy, hope all goes well for you, it's about damn time don't ya think.
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I agree, this really is a great bunch of gals and being able to chat with all of you has really helped me so far. My husband is getting excited for some new online multiplayer game based on Star Wars (it will be similar to World of Warcraft) and is trying to join a "guild" of people to play it with. So last night when he saw me posting on here he started calling this group my guild. Apparently he had to fill out an application to join his guild so he asked me what our application process was. I said you just have to do chemo!
Gingerbrew I hope you are feeling better today, that sucks to get food poisoning on top of chemo! Is it just me or does Lizzy seem a bit extra hyper today?
And wherria, I'm glad you are able to continue with your treatment as planned today. I hope you feel better after this round than before. Adey I'm glad you finally got your start date and perhaps you and Lizzy can both wear big hats and bang drums at the end of our parade!I am continuing my hair saga by obsessively reading all of the forum posts I can find about when people lost their hair. I'm still getting handfuls when I run my fingers through my hair but to my surprise when I look in the mirror I still have full coverage. I'm getting closer to being ready to break out the hair clippers but still not quite there!
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Sally's Beauty Supply has hair covers that are silky and have a little band around them that are really cheap and great to sleep in. Probably any beauty supply store would have them. I think mine cost about $3. I used it at night to catch the hair falling out and also used cotton inside the cover to cushion my sore head because it felt like each hair was being pulled out and could only sleep if I padded it. Hope this helps. There is a company that makes the greatest hats and pre-tied headcovers and scarves called Hats With Hearts that may not be the cheapest you will find but they are well made and designed to look better on us and they do. I got a pre-tied scarf for work and it really looks good and stays in place really well. If anyone is going to get any styling or shampoo just for wigs it is much cheaper to go to local store and get their products for this rather than ordering from TLC online. If you have a Ross For Less or Steinmart they have really cute hats that are very reasonable also. Lol, Ginny
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BTW, I went to Walmart last night, as you all know (!!!), and someone else on this thread mentioned buying "durags" at Walmart: well they are super cheap: $2, and they can be worn to bed easily. If you all have GIGANTIC Walmarts in your area, they are larger than football fields (!), and if you don't want to walk 2 miles like I did, they are located by the hairbrushes! No one knew what I was talking about but finally one person was able to direct me!
I still think Gaila FREE is super better than $2 but whatever you guys want to do!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hi all: 2nd chemo down, 4 to go. That's 1/3 finished, right? (math is not my strong point). I hope SoHard checks in and let us know how she's doing on her birthday. Like jsw, my hair comes out like crazy when I run my fingers through it, but still looks ok. I'm thinking it will have to be buzzed for sure by Thurs or Fri. My onc had said it would come out at day 15, and that will be tomorrow. I hope he is as right on target with my treatment choices as he was predicting the hair loss
Hang in there Fearless Leader. Somebody sent me another site the other day where you can get a free hat/scarf. I'll search my emails and see if I can find it and post the link.
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Lizzy have a good day and SE stay away!
Wherria, I think the Dexamethasone is one of the reasons I have not had a lot of nausea. I am not sure what else it does though ither than make me really jumpy at night for the three days plus a little more.
Food Poisoning just knocked me out. I am on the reclining sofa, don't feel up to sitting upright yet. I am much better though as evidenced by even writing on here. I am convinced it was a "fresh made sausage pizza" from a large food chain. My husband cooked it and I said I didnt think it was done. He insisted it was, that he could see the bottom of the crust was brown. How dumb am I to go ahead and eat something I didn't think was thoroughoy cooked just because my husband insisted it was. He didn't get sick, I did. We have onky lived here for two months now and the oven is old. Who knows what happened but I need to pay attention to what I think is real not just cave,
I hope you all have a beautiful day, for me this is beautiful because I can look out the window and see the sky and an entire landscape of enormous evergreen tress of all sorts. I grew up with no window into the back yard, I a, so grateful for this beautiful view I have now.
I emailed for the Gaila hat too. I had bright white hair and I went into the back yard as it began to come out if I pulled on it. I just had a big old time letting it float off into the breeze and trees. I thnk a lot of little bridies will have a nice soft nest.It was a nice way for it to go. Now I have this itsy bits whispy hair that would feel better gone I think.
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Here it is, you have to call them, you can't order it through an online form. The lady I talked to was very nice. They have two hats, I guess like ball caps: one says "Temporarily bald, Permanently beautiful" and one says "Has anyone seen my hare (hair? not sure how they spell it)" and has a bunny on it. They come in pink or blue.
http://www.breastfriends.com/programs/patient-outreach/hat-project/
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GAILA hats- I got the velvet one and it's poufy, but not scary chef like poufy. But I think I look sort of like a French poet in it.
Blackberry- Keep buying them people! RIM is Canadian! heh. heh.
LIZZY- good luck on the first tx, and to everyone else who is having their first this week too. (I love the reporting live from concept....I have mine on Friday and will try to surreptitiously take a shot of the hot chemo nurse for y'all to see).
OMG I just used the word "y'all"....apparently you people are having a bigger effect on me than I thought!!:)
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OMG ... Sweeney is coming over to the dark side, ya'll.
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onemonga- yeah i think thats how my family feels like i am lying to spare their feelings! Although i bluffed a little the night before i went into the hospital, i didnt go into depth the amount of pain i was feeling, but said it was "managable" but hey no matter how good or bad i paint it they will think i am not telling the whole truth!
elizabeth- it wont all come out overnight but will start to look thinner i am assuming by next week. it depends on how thin you are comfortatble with before you shave it off... But you do already have a wig, so maybe buzz it before your plans and wear the wig.
Lizzy- Wel it def was not raining when i wanted to walk, hardly a cloud in the sky- south texas weather can be so schitzophrenic. the rain lasted 15 mins but was a DOWNPOUR!!! i am orginally from washington state so i truly miss the rain!!!! Oh yeah and most times i forget i am bald until i see my reflection LOL (like the port its a sensation you quickly get used to) I think getting sick because of rain is an old wifes tale LOL- but hubby PROMISED we can walk tomorrow and thur to pick her up because thats his day off and he can walk with me LOL i will let you know how it goes! (can you tell this is the week before chemo??? too much energy!!!)
jsw19- Yes i agree walking in wet clothes is awful LOL Also i used to do p90x pre cancer, i think i mentioned it somewhere but i had to stop because of this weird chest pain (turned out it was mets to my sternum and ribs lol) gotta love hindsight!!! I want to start just the yoga portion, but misplaced my DVDs in my move.... EXERCISE IS GREAT! my onc recomends even doing curls or something simple...
SOHARD HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!
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Gingerbrew- Nope not TMI lol btw since having children i cant do jumping exercises for the same reason (peeing) Through all of this i have had my fair share of those days where i am like BE DONE WITH IT ALREADY!
Wherria- I love those type of days!
Lizzy- WTG i would have given him a look at most, but would have been a cheerer if i was there! I have my good face on and NO ONE will mistake me for a victim (check in after my tx on monday though LOL)
jsw19- Love that fact he calls it a guild
but yup the application process was simple! As long as you're comfortable with your hairloss no need for the clippers Seems like you must have THICK hair!Sweeny- yes take a pic!
and i nominate you an honorary Texan with your "y'all"!!! Dp y'all say soda or pop up there? I grew up sayin pop and down here no one has a clue what pop is!!! lol0 -
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to chime in about head coverings. I am done with my third chemo and have been almost bald since August 14th so a month now. I have probably spent more than I care to say on headcovers (wigs, scarves, hats, etc). I have found the headcover I love the most and it is from Headcovers.com and is their Three Seam Turbans. They are $12.00 and I have them in four colors: white, black, cabernet and tan and I just accent them with all different colored scarves depending on my outfit. My Mom is a saver and she had a drawer of scarves she's collected for probably 50 years. She let me go through them and I brought home probably 40 scarves. I feel so comfortable in them. They're like cotton/jersey and from the beginning of my hair loss I got a very itchy rash on my head and they are the most comfortable and still make me feel like I have a little style. I also don't feel like pulling them off a half hour after I put them on, like my wig.
It's been so hard for me to adjust from long hair to nothing and there are no easy ways to figure out what is going to work for you. Just thought I'd share my experience.
Michelle
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Ginger: I am so sorry you felt so sick. There should be a rule with chemo...we can deal with the side effects, but nothing else. Everything else stay away: colds, flu, food poisoning..all BANNED.
Sohard: Happy B-DAY!!
Lizzy: Happy First Treatment Day! I hope everything went smoothly and you are feeling okay. Love the Roid Rage at WalMart!
Wherria: Hope treatment #3 went well and you feel okay!
And Congrats Ladyinbama...1/3 through...YEAH!
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Good evening CHEMO-SABIS!!! I am **officially** a CHEMO-SABI too!!!!! Finally! It went fine! I teased them a lot and said I was seeing things or the med wasn't going in should I move toward the light?!?!? Just some fun!
I just took more steroids so while I have a non-steroidal moment, last night when I laid into that joker at Walmart, usually I am not so crass but vociferous I can be! In any case, he got what he wanted because he drove his little truck within about 6" of my shoulder and the roids kicked in. He was obviously a punk and, sadly, roid rage caused me to give him what he wanted which was a reaction. What further aggravated me about punk face was he was just arbitrarily parked in front of the store in the crosswalk and as soon as the pack of people got into the walk way he hits the gas. My remark should have gone unsaid but sometimes we just slip...and give someone what they deserve!!
Headwraps, scarves etc... aside from the free stuff I have received, I do like the stuff from TLC.org. I have gotten 4 hats, 2 scarf hats and 3 plain colored scarves. It is all good quality and I like the material and colors.
Sweeney: good for you on the surreptitious photo taking! OMG ... a silly story! When my friend and I were teenagers, like 13-15, we were in NYC a lot. Well, if we saw a hot guy in like Grand Central, one of us would go stand near him and the other would innocuously snap a pic!! It was SOOO funny and for those of you who have been in GCT, you know it is wicked easy. Of course this was 27 years ago so the phone was not an option and, honestly, it was easy with a 35MM as people just thought you were a tourist! So break out with the hot pics, missy! Who is your wireless provider for the Iphone in Canada? BTW, Canada, y'all is GOOD STUFF (Texas!!!!)!!
Ladyinbama: you are 1/3 of the way through and I am 1/6th!!!!!! PROGRESS, my friend!!! Thanks for the link also. Free is always helpful!
Texas: yeah...TX weather is a fright! I am 1/2 Italian and 1/2 Irish and the Irish part of me LOV S the rain! I would miss WA also. In CT we get quite the mixed bag not to mention, and most recently making a strong appearance on our weather menu, TORNADOES!
Onemonga: You said, it was about damn time!
Wherria: I am glad you are continuing and without the dexamethasone. I am just glad you decided to continue. Me, on the other hand, is salivating over my next serving of roids as I have a Weider double pro station in my home gym as well as a flat bench and olympic bar = GOOD STUFF and now that I am AUTHORIZED to take steroids, needless to say, I am going to make hay while the sun shines, Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!! he he he!!!!!
Ok, time to count down to my next roid serving!
Happy Trails-
Your FEARLESS Leader!
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Lizzy LOL bout the roid rage! Which reminds me i need to get my script refilled i only had enough for 2 doses and have enough refils for the whole tx...
Ladyinbama- i contacted Breatfriends and they were so nice!!! I also friended them on facebook!!!
My friend is from Toranto and she really said "take off" sometimes followed by "you hoser" lol I miss her, she is pregnant right now and i am super excited! Oh and "eh" she said that A LOT! ("we're gonna go to the store eh?")
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Thanks for the referrals to our web-site. We've been fielding calls all day today and have sent several of our hats out to patients currently undergoing hair loss from chemo. We also have a free DVD called, "A Practical Guide to Breast Cancer Support." It's a 22 minute DVD that talks about the importance of support and provides wonderful ways to offer support so it is accepted by the patient. It's a great tool to watch together as a family or with your girlfriends. All of our services are free, but donations are greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Becky Olson
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Hi all,
I have to get the kids off to school, but wanted to say I called breast friends about the hat yesterday. The founder Becky was a little perplexed about getting several out of state referrals in one day. I told her about our awesome group and how everyone shares (thanks lady in bama) when they come across nice tips or treats:-). She asked about myself and my kids and shared her own experience and was easy to open up to. She is a 3 time survivor of Stage 3 breast cancer. She said the good thing that came out of this for her is that all her life she wanted to do some sort of public speaking, but didn't have a topic. Now she travels all over sharing her story and offering support. She was very self conscious about being bald after her first treatment, but after a friend gave her a funny hat she found people were less afraid and approached her. That inspired her to start breast friends. It was heart warming to talk to her. She said that something good has come out of each of her struggles with bc and was sure that would be the case for me (us). She even shared a tip for when your hair hurts as it comes out. She said keep some aloe vera gel in the fridge and have someone gently rub the gel onto your scalp.
hope everyone has a great day
Carolyn
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LOL! who got the breastfriends folk on our thread? Nice work!
Looks like everything and everyone is moving along (even with a few side trips--BOO on the food poisoning).
So I was just wondering......you know how you are supposed to avoid any injury to the arm (or arms) where the lymph nodes were removed? Well, has anyone ever managed to cut their under arm with the razor while shaving? I never have. Has anyone switched to the electric version? If you switched, do you just use it for the affeced area or completely switch. And any brand recommendations? I think I owed a Daisy (?) in the late 70s or early 80s. (day 20. no hair loss. all routine hair removal continues as normal. treatment #3 tomorrow)
Hysterical LIZZY! A couple of my kids power lift in training for other sports and they just crack up when I lift now (had that piece of muscle removed during the mx). Maybe the 'roids are helping! I am probably 3/4 back to where I was before in upper body. I didn't think that the dose would be high enough for that, or that it was the right kind, but--BELIEVE AND IT WILL BE SO!
An SE free day to all!
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Hi all! Had my third Tx yesterday, sans the steroids, and everything went fine. So far today just a headache and some diarrhea. Neulasta shot today, which usually hits me like a train, but I am thinking positively!
Okay girls, I think we need to be watching Lizzy for signs of steroid addiction! She's just having way too much fun!!
Good day y'all (I'm from Oklahoma!).
Whitney
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Talked to the nurse yesterday at treatment and asked whether I could drink too much water.
She said no more than 1 gallon water per 24 hours.
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lisaattheshore
I bought an electric razor - had to look for a narrow one because my underarms have deep pockets since the surgery. I could not get it to remove the hair and was annoyed after purchasing two different razors, so I just use a regular razor carefully. I do it in front of the mirror b/c as I said the pockets are deep. You can't go by me though, I'm a nurse and we make awful patients :-) When I was at Sloan Kettering there was one surgeon who didn't believe in hand/arm precautions. We taught a class and he wouldn't allow his patients to go to the class because he said we were scaring them and the studies didn't fine a direct correlation between trauma and lymphedema. When I go back in Dec I'll ask my surgeon if he's still doing that and what the results have been. I've been told b/c I only had four nodes removed I don't need to worry about lymphedema, but then I came across some posts from women who said they had sentinel nodes and still got it so I'd rather err on the side of caution. My dad had all his nodes removed and developed lymphedema and it's very uncomfortable. For myself I'll be careful, but I found the electric razor ineffective. I even tried my husband's which is harder to use there because it's wider but it hurt, felt like it was pulling the hairs. Maybe someone else has had better ideas/results.
Carolyn
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TexasRose- Definitely POP. If I said soda, people would look at me like I'm trying to recreate a scene from Happy Days. And I also say "eh" waaaay too much. But I like "y'all" and I'm going to start using it. I'll blame all y'all of you.:)
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GOOD MORNING CHEMO-SABIS!!!! HOW ARE Y'ALL DOIN?!
I just got through treating myself to some extra roids slipped into a protein smoothie!!!!! Whoo hoo!!!!!! Joking...!
So far, so good. Today I am going to pull my hair!!!!! Just because I know these could well be the final days of none coming out in my fist!
Lisaattheshore: no, these are not the correct "juice" to enhance lifting! Funny if they were, however! Like ckptry said, some docs don't feel shaving is a problem but my BS said don't shave under that arm. The other night on my roid bonanza at Walmart I bought clippers to shave my head and an electric razor for under the left arm as I don't want to use my boyfriends anymore! He gets comfortable if I allow him to keep stuff here! he he he! I did not use it yet but you can get a decent one for under $40 and there was a narrow one also. I got the clippers for $20 to buzz my head when, and if I am not so lucky as Lisaattheshore, it starts coming out!!!
Omaz: good info on the water. I asked that yesterday. I, too, was told the roughly 80 ozs I drink per day is enough. I am going to up that to 100 anyway but I guess the 120 on a gallon is not good. If you drink coffee or tea in the AM, and use half-and-half which actually has protein and hardly a trace of sugar, and do not use sugar in your coffee or tea, that does count as water consumption also, don't forget.
Y'all: I worked for a brokerage firm that was HQ'd in Atlanta. I picked up y'all from them and it never left my vernacular! So far so good with me but this is quite premature. Friday through Monday will be the test, as I have been warned of days 4-8 and/or 7-10. I remain, as always, cautiously optimistic!!!!!!! I give Greenspan credit for linking these 2 words! He was such a clever man! One morning on the 4/5 (yes, our Fed Chairman was known to ride the subway a time or 2!) my friend spilled hot coffee on his head! He was sitting and she was standing and was quite tall in the near 6' range and ooooooooops! Sorry Mr. Chairman!!!! Sadly she did not even know who he was...ugh! On a NY train in the morning, one can easily hide!
Wherria: out in the patchwork blanket I refer to when I fly West! Question on Neulasta: I am going to take it tomorrow before LGFB. I am wondering how soon it does hit? I will get it probably around 10:45 and will be having LGFB from 11. How soon do you feel it's effects (or anyone that has some info) as I have been so looking forward to LGFB but won't be back home until probably 2. Let me know and thanks. Good day...glad you did your 3rd also, btw, and your SE's are negligible. That is very, very good news, missy!
I hope you all do one good thing for yourselves today!!! Oh yeah, that SOHARDBNME must have had one heck of a birthday as we have failed to hear from her AT ALL!! Maybe when she gets up this afternoon from her partying she will send us a message!
Your FEARLESS Leader!
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