Australian Sisters
Comments
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Way to go Trish ! That is awesome !
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Thanks girls, all good thoughts appreciated.
Wow Trish! A two hour wait for a tow! Bummer about having to buy a new car but oh you will be so pleased to drive it when it arrives! The new Elantra is a really nice car, my sister bought one a few months ago and just loves it.
Well just one more week for me and then it's up, up and away to Brizzy!!....yahooo!!!
Sue can't wait to see you again!!
Love n hugs all! Chrissy0 -
Well done Trish on selling the car so quick! Sorry it died though :-/
Kazzie - hope that port incision heals nice and quickly for you :-)
Chrissy - definitely good thoughts for you!
I have been working for work at my own hospital clinic the past 2 days. Will be back there tomorrow morning for my 6 weekly appt with my onc. This will be the last time I see her for 12 weeks as she will be away for my next appt after this. My research nurse reminded me this morning that we will have to schedule my annual bone scan and whole body CT scan (required for the D-Care trial and one of the reasons I signed up for it) in the next few weeks. Got to say that I've been scanned so often in the past few months that I was not thrilled by the idea...
Jenn0 -
Met with my BS today, not only did I get the all clear for another year, he's happy to see me only once a year from now on and thinks the onc will do the same, so i will only have to see one of them every 6 months instead of every 3. I feel like I graduated lolz.
He was fine with the changes Ive made to supplements and said, as we all already know, that the longer I go without signs of recurance the better my long term chances are. I'm going to have a glass of moscato and drink to another year of NED
. Back pain is just scoliosis but of course if anything changes contact him immediately.For the Brissie ladies, I took mum to Market Buffet at the Treasury for lunch in celebration. Was pretty ordinary, overpriced and really not that flash. Am thinking we could take a trip to the Broncos at Redhill for one of our lunches, their buffet is truly superb. Anyway something to think about. I'll have my car with me at the apartment of course.
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That is excellent . Doing the happy dance !
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What supplements are you taking ? Did you figure out your own reime or did you get help with it ?
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Van I had horrible s/e's from arimidex for 3 years till i finally saw a Naturopath who changed me from calcium caltrate to green calcium and added a probiotic. Since then most of the aches and pains are gone and I can face another year or two of arimidex without dread. Sadly my cholesterol has jumped so i still need to work on eating better I think.
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Hi ladies, just thought I'd drop a line about my local support group meeting today. I have been attending it since '95, when I was first dxed and am quite happy with the group as a whole.
Most of the members are consistently older women who arrive with the 'roo in the headlights' look and then go on to a normal existence once tx is over.
Periodically, we have the odd man attend who usually has Prostate cancer but, once over the worst, they no longer come along. Naturally, there are those who don't have good out-comes.
We have one man attending at the moment who had PC a couple of years ago, refused surgery, hormone tx and anything else offered to him because he would rather eat the grass in his paddock 'than be poisoned by the medical profession.' Each time he comes he has some new thing he has discovered on the 'net and he hands out DVD's to all who take them. A couple of months ago it was "Black Salve" for skin cancers which I researched and found was like an acid that ate flesh.
To each his own I say, but I wish he wouldn't spruik these things to vulnerable people. As the group is currently all women, he turns up and tries to take over the meetings and disrupts discussions about breast, lung, bone cancers etc., with his tales of prostate cancer tx as if that is a real cancer and the others don't count.
The lady who runs the group manages to keep him at bay most of the time so that we can follow the program. Today, he arrived early and wanted to tell each person as they arrived the trauma he suffered of having a knee replacement a few weeks ago. Mind you, he wouldn't have general anasthetic for it, only (crap, I can't think of the name = lower spinal/lumbar anasthetic) so he was awake and heard all the hammering and sawing.
Half way through the meeting, he looked toward the door and yelled, 'Nancy,' but when I looked there was no one there.
He explained that it was his wife who had come to pick him up as he can't drive yet because his right leg isn't fully healed yet.
We were having our end of year meeting with a Christmassy flavour so there was a lovely afternoon tea for the last 45 mins.
One of the ladies suggested we bring his wife in to share the fare and he answered with, "I think she's a bit depressed, she had a mammagram at the caravan, and they just told her she has breast cancer."
WTF!
Oh My God! what a giant pr!ck this guy is! He's attending a Cancer Support Group where 50% of the attendees are women with BC.......and he doesn't want her in the room?
She was quite happy to join us and came in and we all hugged her only to watch her DH push her down the end of the table away from him. So she sat with friendly strangers while her husband was anything but. I don't know a lot about them but she is asian/phillipino and so I think she doesn't get a lot of say about things in their household and I don't think she is going to get a lot of support from her DH. I can only hope and pray the other women there, like me, got the picture and go out of their way to make Nancy feel very special in any way they can. I just hope the DH doesn't stop her from attending our meetings.
Rant over, we shall see what the future brings.
Sheila.
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Wow Sheila - what a nasty piece of work - they should ban him from the meetings.
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Sheila I sure hope he allows her to have proper treatment and not all of what he is spruiking. She may need support in order to get the treatment she deserves and of her choosing.
DH took me out to dinner tonight and it was lovely!! We met a lovely older couple who were celebrating there anniversary but forgot there camera so I took some pics on my phone and mms'd them to her. We got chatting, as I am want to do at the drop of a hat....lol, and it turns out she is a 12 year survivor of BC and her DH a 6 year survivor of PC!! It is truly an amazingly small world as they also knew a lot of people whom I also knew!! I think I have found another friend.......how nice!!
Love n hugs all! Chrissy0 -
Marnie I'm in Perth and at the moment there's heaps of rain and big winds throughout WA. It's been like it most of today and is still windy and rainy now at 10.30pm. What's your husband doing here for 4 months? Working on the mines?
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Thanks Linda !
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Sheila . Some people really are space invaders aren't they ? That poor woman to have to put up with that jerk every day !
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Linda so glad to hear your good news - we'll be celebrating next week with you!
Sheila - what a wanker, I really hope his poor wife gets the treatment she needs. I know it takes all kinds to make this world, but I'm not sure I could be too nice to him if I were at those meetings.
Marnie - good to hear from you too - hope you don't miss your DH too much while he's over here.
We've had a portrait deal on Living Social for the last few days and it's gone nuts lol. We've sold 60 vouchers so far, so we are well on our way to the 100 I was aiming for. This lot of work will pay for my lovely new lens and hopefully a new camera body (or at least most of it) for my business partner. Looks like I'm going to be super busy in the lead up to Christmas taking family portraits, but that's good news for us.
Kate how did your Santa photos go?
Trish
xoxo
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Great news Lyndal. Trish photos were fine, but very basic. They were very organised with all the presents ready and kids waiting. Santa wizzed through the kids in about 20 minutes.
Having terrble winds here and its pulled down some of our fencing and our shade sails over the pool have broken loose so are flapping and flickin everywhere. There is no point trying to secure them while we are having gale force winds. Pauls away again but will be home o tuesday. That job has finished. He now has to find another one. Im over bunbury and facing the sea ( where the wind comes from) i want to move to the perth hills on the other side of a hill facing east - seriously. i am having my port unblocked today and also my 1 year app with my bs.0 -
Wow Aussie......what a wanker that guy appears to be! His wife needs support & it would be ideal if she could go to the support group without him - doesn't sound like he would 'allow' that though!!
Where abouts in Perth are you? I too, live in Perth....Iluka.
Yes, Chrissy, it is such a small world! And you always seem to be helping someone one way or another
I had a restless night last night after having the port in yesterday....it's quite achey under my arm which just happens to be the side sleep on!! And as I said earlier, still nervous about using it the first time......sounds very sooky I know!!!!
Have a lovely day ladies...
Karen x0 -
Karen I had a port. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to it, then I forgot it was there. I did reach up quite high early on and pulled around the port area quite badly - so don't do that lol.
Get yourself a tube of Emla cream from the chemist. It's quite expensive (about $80 per tube) but I did 16 months of treatments every 3 weeks and still have cream in the tube. It's an anaesthetic for the skin. You put it on (ideally) around 3 hours before your port is accessed, and you hardly feel a thing. I put mine on and covered it with one of those dressings that's like sticky gladwrap.
It's really worth spending the money on the cream especially if you don't like being stuck with needles. The needle for a port is a bit thicker than a normal IV or injection and can sting quite a bit going in and coming out.
Sending you ((((hugs)))) - you aren't being sooky, you are being human.
Trishxoxox
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well my port is stuffed. was good while it lasted but despite using different size needles whilst under x-ray they couldnt get any dye near it to find the actual blockage. The dr asked if I wanted them to have another attempt before my next Herceptin but to quote Daniel Craig "I'd rather suck pus from an abcess" than do that again. Emla cream is terrific for on the surface stuff, but not for deep stuff. I wasnt prepared for this procedure to be any more or less different that getting the Herceptin needle, but it was awful and I was a baby and I cried. I see my BS this fternoon and might as well plan on getting it taken out. PS Karen, I am the exception to the rule, most people dont have any problems with their ports ever and they are really terrific. Just my bad luck this time.
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Awe Kate (((((hugs)))))) I'm so sorry they couldn't clear your port. How many Herceptin do you still need to have? Are you going to consider another port?
Sorry girl nosy me has raised her silly head again. Good luck with your appointment this arvo. Know we are thinking about you.
Karen your port will settle but it takes a little while until you don't notice it's there. As Kate and Trish have said it is well worth you getting the Emla cream to numb the skin prior to treatments.
Love n hugs girls!! Chrissy0 -
My port is located on my right chest, about 10cm below the collarbone, and I don't notice it. The chemo nurses give me an Emla patch each time for the following week. I put it on at least 1hour before treatment and don't feel the needle at all. I hope all my fellow port-users have a better time soon.
Love Angela0 -
Oh Kate I'm feeling for you, you poor thing (((((hugs))))) you'll get real ones tomorrow week xoxo
Trish
xoxoxo
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Oh wow girls.......thankyou so much for all that! I feel so much better now I know I can numb the area....LOL
I will ask the onc on Tuesday if Emla cream or patches are supplied & if not will buy some for Thursday....:)
Sorry to hear of your probs with the port Kate......hopefully it'll be sorted sooner rather later.....(((hugs)))
Karen x0 -
Angela.....been meaning to ask you how you're liking our eyebrow tattoos??
Karen x0 -
Wow, you're a busy bunch here - I'm not sure I can keep up! Thanks so much for the welcome, though!
Karen, I have a port too, and ended up not using my EMLA cream. I truly abhor needles and I'm what the nurses call a really hard stick, but honestly, I just didn't get much/any relief from the EMLA cream. They also have the freeze spray you could try (I assume they have that here in Australia?) if you don't want to spend a ton on the lido cream.
Kate, ugh-sorry your port has gone bad! Will you get another one?
Angela - OMG, eyebrow tattoos?? You're braver than I!
ETA - how many of us are there in the Melbourne area?
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Girls I need talking down.
A couple of weeks ago I got my bowel cancer kit in the mail and sent samples of my poo off.
I got a letter today saying it was positive for blood and I have to go see my dr to organise a colonoscopy. I keep telling myself it is probably nothing, but my brother had bowel cancer at the same time as I was going through chemo.
I'm still shaking, and will have a Valium soon and have an early night. It couldn't possibly be bowel cancer after all the chemo I've had - surely!!??
Trish
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Oh Trisha......you poor thing(((hugs)))
If it's any reassurance both my parents had the same result from the test, both had to have a colonoscopy (not at the same time...LOL) & it turned out that they both had polyps!!
I hope that gives you a little bit of comfort but I can understand how scared you must be feeling.......take that Valium & try relax a little bit xxxxxx
Karen x0 -
Oh Trish!! I think you'll find that the cause is more likely to be polyps rather than cancer and when they do the colonoscopy they'll also take care of those at the same time. Deep breath girl, take your Valium and try to relax a little there are loads of reasons that they find traces of blood and not all are cancer. Just think, why do we have these screenings? to make sure that all is okay and be aware of any anomolly. Now you are aware you can follow through.
Love n hugs. Chrissy0 -
What a marvelous forum this is ! To be able to share and hopefully ease the isolation . Sorry to the lovely ladies that are having such a rough time . I must admit had a meltdown this morning and wondering what is the point of all this pain and torture we put ourselves through . And this is before I have even seen the oncologist ! I have decided that I have a love of life and obviously am not ready to check out .I could have done that at least 20 times in the water at Grantham so I am a fighter but like Afghanistan and Vietnam have to decide which battle is the most appropriate for me . I have never been any good at patience and this obviously is a lesson for me to learn it in a big way !Hugs to you all and know that I am thinking of you sharing the journey ! waving from Gatton Qld .
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dear Trish . I can understand your concern . I was talking to Marion the other day about this very thing the worry and dread immediately something is not right ! Before I would have irritations nowadays anything out of the ordinary that happens It immediately is the cancer and it has shot up overnight ! The stress is worse than the disease ! Learning to breath in and out and trying not to panic . Hugs Marie .
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Marie I think you are at the hardest place in this journey..........knowing its there but not knowing about your treatment yet. Believe me when I say that bewildered but determined feeling will ease once you have everything in place and you know what steps are going to be taken to get rid of and controll the beast. Your determination will flag at times but that is where we all can help you along.
The best thought is none of this is forever but just for now.
Love n hugs. Chrissy0
