Australian Sisters
Comments
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Liv, sounds like a wonderful weekend, good for you for enjoying yourself :-)
Chrissy - your little holiday sounds like heaven too, pity that the weather was so hot for you though.
Jenn - last Herceptin headache for you! :-) Once the port is out you can move on and if you follow my footsteps, in about a year you'll hardly think about bc and how crappy it was and how scared, sick and tired it all made you. It takes a while though, I kept thinking I should be over it and getting frustrated with myself because I wasn't there yet.
Annette - re the clean windows and birds - we don't have curtains, as we live in the country there are no neighbours to look in, and every window has a beautiful view. We have birds fly into them regularly - even when they are filthy lol. We also have a large flock of native honey eaters that have become rather tame as we feed them. One of them flew into the lounge room the other day looking for something to eat lol. I think they are getting a bit too tame. :-)
Kylie - sounds like the dog is already in protection mode lol how cute.
Our old boy Gus ( a rough collie like Lassie) is getting worse day by day. He's only 9 1/2 but has developed degenerative myelopathy. The sheath around the nerves in his spine is breaking down. I noticed (about 2 months ago) that his back legs were funny. He was starting to stagger and his back legs started doing the splits. It's been getting worse and about 6 weeks ago I took him to the vet about it. He was fairly sure it was neurological, and on Friday confirmed the dx. Poor Gus - there's no cure for this, and he'll just get progressively worse until he can't wag his tail anymore, become paralysed and eventually not be able to go to the toilet. This could all happen in the next 6 months to a year at the very most. I'm heartbroken for this lovely dog who has been with us since he was 8 weeks old. He's a real character, and was one of my protectors when I was doing chemo. Always by my side or guarding the doorway of the room I was in. We'll have to make the decision to put him to sleep before he gets too bad, and that's such a hard decision to make.
Trish
xoxoxo
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Trish, so sorry to hear about Gus...he sounds like a beautiful dog....
Annette, I was also sorry to hear about your kitten but he really against the odds....
To everyone take care...0 -
Oh Trisha......poor Gus (((hugs))) It's quite amazing how attached we get to our animals.
Annette.....so sad about the poor little kitty (((hugs))) to you too. You did a lovely thing though, trying to save him.
Liv.....good to hear from you! Love to hear you're out partying & having fun!!
Another quick Xeloda question.....have you had much trouble with the hand/foot syndrome? I'm up to day 7 & can feel a little bit of numbness on my finger tips but it's very minor. Other than that, not much happening in the way of symptoms at all......hope that doesn't mean it's not working!!!
Jenn.....hope you're feeling better & that darned headache has buggared off.....onward & upward from here on in.
Chrissy.....you're probably settled back home after your lovely little break with your sister.....back to being a domestic goddess!!
I bought myself a short, blonde, funky wig ( been a brunette all my life) & I absolutely love it!! I thought it might have looked really weird but I've had nothing but compliments......mainly that I look years younger or that I look like my blonde daughter! I think I have a new fave wig.....would post a pic if I knew how...lol
Hugs to everyone else & hope everyone is well.
Karen x0 -
Trish - sounds like Gus has had a good life with you guys :-)
I went off to the optometrist this morning since my eyesight seemed to go off again over the past month or so.
During chemo and Herceptin over the past year my script and astigmatism have changed quite markedly several times and I have developed cataracts, blocked eye ducts and very dry eyes. My poor eyes have really taken a beating!
My optometrist is a lovely woman who has shown great interest in my progress and she is really caring. Today she asked me about all of these things and what my oncologist was doing about them for me. I had to say "Nothing. She just writes them down.".
So the optometrist is writing me a referral to an eye specialist who will be able to unblock my blocked ducts and will also be able to monitor my cataracts. And, she told me to start taking 1000mg/day of Krill Oil which should solve my eye dryness problems in about 2 weeks.
I wish this woman was my oncologist...
Jenn0 -
Just catching up on all the news, poor little kitty, seems like you did everything possible Annette.
Trish sounds like Gus has had a good life, hope his last months are not too painful.
Kazzie would love to see a pic with you as a blonde if you are able to work out how to do it - I am of no help in that dept.
Jenn I use artificial tears for dry eyes, will be interested to hear of your progress with the krill oil, I may try it as well as I hate having to carry the vials around.
Haven't heard from Kate in a long while, hope she is ok. If you are still reading Kate sending good wishes to you.
Hope everyone has a good evening.
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I finally arrived home about fifteen minutes ago........time enough to kick my shoes off, turn the fan on, make a cup of tea and plonk myself in my chair and boot up the laptop.......lol........well, that's a good start, the unpacking can wait until tomorrow I wont even bother to get my PJ's out as I'll just grab a clean pair. Talk about lazy!.....lol. I've got gym and hydro in to morning so I don't think the suitcase will get touched until afternoon but that's okay.
Trish having to make that final decision for our beloved pets is truly a hard one but if you're anything like me I'd rather not see them suffer. ((((((hugs))))))
Jenn, that Krill oil for dry eyes sounds like a really good thing. I must admit that I was having issues with that myself but havent noticed it since changing from fish oil to krill oil.......just may well be something to do with it....who'd a thunk?!
Karen if you want to email me a pic I'll be happy to post it for you. If you want I'll PM you the address. I laughed at your 'domestic goddess' remark........I think I'd be the last person to call a goddess, domestic or otherwise......lol.......yes I did have a lovely time with my sis but it is never long enough.....sigh......I'll just have to go back sooner rather than later to see her again.
I've just messaged Kate to check on her.....hope all is well and she is just busy with life. I'll let you know if she answers me.
Well girls I need to go drink my tea before its cold and unwind after the long drive ooo! and go take my tablets before I forget!
Hope you all sleep well.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Hello gorgeous ladies. You are all mostly sleeping at the moment I suspect.
Midnight - Thanks for your concern about my hubby's birthday. He survived it and we've agreed to have a do-over when he gets home in March. I'm so sorry about the kitten, so sad! Poor little tiny thing!
Chrissy - Sea water soaking, sounds divine! I liked your description of "mermaid". I can just see you.
Kazzie61 - I'm glad that your onc. recommended meditation - sounds like you've got one of the good ones. I've got a free guided meditation on my site, here's the link: http://marnieclark.com/guided-meditation/ I also have a downloadable how-to-meditate course that I've just put together - when you're on my site, just go to the "Change Your Life Meditation Course" tab - listen to the video because it tells a lot more about it and why I put it together. Re the glutamine, it's a great amino acid that supports and enhances the effects of chemotherapy, it helps to reduce side effects associated with chemotherapy and it has a protective effect for mucous membranes (which includes your mouth and the lining of your nose and gut). Take 1,000-4,000 mg per day for the best benefits. Enjoy that blonde wig! I'll bet you look great in it. Thanks for asking about my granddaughter-to-be, she's due 22 July. We were on pins and needles last week because initial tests indicated she might be a Downs baby, but the amniocentesis indicated she's just fine. Thank heaven (breathing a sigh of relief). My kids don't need any more challenges than the ones they already have! By the way, the Lavender Patch that I mentioned in the hills of Perth is closed, annoyingly enough. Loved going there but I guess they got burned out.
Tammy: I'm so glad you like my guided meditation and that it's helping you with your sleep. Fantastic.
Aussie12: Loved your reference to Downton Abbey. I'm watching it too. Pretty intense episode coming up for you if you haven't already seen it. You'll know what I mean when you get there.
Trish: I'm also a massage therapist and my best advice for your sore back is to get a massage before you go to the chiropractor. If you think about it, muscle moves bone and if the muscles are extremely tight, it makes your chiropractor's job that much more difficult. The best chiropractors also do a little muscle release prior to their adjustment but ones who operate that way are hard to find! Hope your back is better soon.
Jenn - I hope you're feeling better soon - congrats on your last Herceptin treatment. Yippee!
Okay - better get back to work. Nice dropping by and seeing how you're all doing. xox
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Yes, Kate, i really hope kate is ok. i knew there there was somebody we had not heard from for ages. Chrissy tell her we miss her, i have been trying to father out her name, my memory is terrible. so kate, hope you ok girl.
I booked the female dogs in for speying from the farm and you know i could not remember the name of one of them or its colour, i don't see them alot, but hubby told me twice this morning and i still forgot when i was talking to the vet nurse, Tip. is her name.
Just read the news and a well known broadcaster, Phillip Leishman, some of you ladies may of heard of him. is terminally ill with Brain cancer, he had surgery last year and its returned. Cancer is a real Bugger aye, poor guy, 61 years old. oh well better get going. hope you girls ok.
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I was only thinking yesterday we haven't heard from Kate for awhile.....please do let us know if you hear back from her Chrissy. I'm sure she's just been very busy....hopefully!
Marnie.....thanks for the link, I will have a look at it over the next few days. I've always found it hard to relax......I remember trying Yoga & I got stressed coz I couldn't relax...LOL
Chrissy....if you PM me your email, I will send through my blonde bombshell pic....LOL
Glad you're home & settled although by now you've probably done your physio & are already onto the unpacking!!
I'm off to my psychology appointment this morning....not sure it's for me but will keep trying a bit longer! It gets a bit emotional which I find quite draining....
So far Xeloda is treating me well.....still very few side effects! Is it working is the million dollar question!!
Take care lovely ladies.
Karen xx0 -
The other thing that really is frightening me at the moment, that i wake up alot of times and find that i cannot get a breath, I find that i have to sit up to get a real deep breath from the diaphram, anybody had that? i don't know whether i'm sort of anxious and that is making it worse, but i do find during the day, that i have to take deep breaths. maybe i am just anxious, does concern me at time and the other thing is laying down watching tv and i actually find myself twitching, or jumping, i know we all do that, just get off to sleep and we will jump suddenly like a fright, but this is when i am awake. Sometimes i take panadol to settlle it down and i get restless legs, got to be tied up with each other, here i am moaning again, i am not really, just noticed it getting bad lately. I was laying there with hubby a couple of nights and we were watching a programme and my body twitched and he said, felt like an electric wave went thru him, he said, shit honey you ok, i felt that. really weired actually. don't quite know what it's all about. well going to have a drink, take care.
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Leaving in an hour to get to my appt to have my port out!!!!!
Not looking forward to more pain and stitches though.
Jenn0 -
Jenn, take a big deep breath and walk through the door with your head held high.......you have come through this whole ordeal and this is the last thing. It will be more uncomfortable than painful. Good luck!
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Good luck Jenn, Hope it's not hard on you, but it will be out, yay, thinking of you.
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Sitting here in the waiting ward. Everyone else in a gown is at least 70yrs. They all looked at me arriving like I had two heads.
If I was over 70yrs this whole experience would have been more acceptable :-/
Jenn0 -
Hey Liv.....haven't heard from you for awhile but I've been looking into the Xeloda being taken in combination with another drug.
It says if you've had Paclitaxel & it failed (which is the case with me) the Xeloda should then be taken on its own....made me feel better!! Started thinking maybe I should have been having something else with it...
Thats just from my researching & I will ask the onc when I see him.
Hope to hear from you again soon....missing you (((hugs)))
I had my second psych appointment today & I felt much better after this one.....like it was worthwhile!! So I've made another appointment for 2 weeks time!!
I then had coffee with my mother.....a very trying experience!! I faked that I was 'flatlining' & needed a nana nap to get away from her....lol
Take care.
Karen x0 -
Sexy Lady!!!!
You look gorgeous!!!! That blonde is amazing!
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Karen, good to hear that your psych appointment went well
and sorry that the coffee wasn't a better experience 
family can be tricky at times.....
Jenn, a real milestone getting the port removed - another step forward.....
did you get the results of your Tamoxifen Predict test yet? I'm always a little cautious about drug and supplement interactions so the krill oil and tamoxifen are no problem?0 -
Wow, love the blonde hair!!!!
Chrissy, I now know where to go for IT help0 -
Karen we need a "like" button.
Are you having more fun!0 -
Ha ha.....thanks girls & thanks Chrissy, forgot I sent them through this morning.
I really am enjoying 'the new look'....mum didn't recognize me (which can be a good thing! Lol) & so many people have said how much younger I look.
And yes, Angela, blondes do have more fun....wink!!
Thanks for the compliments.......
Karen x0 -
kazzie you hot little blonde you...looks gorgeous..sexyyyyyyyyyyy.
that is just awful you pretending not to feel well to get away from your mother. ....but gee it made me laugh..
sounds like xeloda is going to be good for you as many that take this drug have a reaction straight away. a little bit of tiredness and a bit of sore feet is easy to handle.
kaz dont want to overload you with research but i was having a look into the sorbet trial, its for trip negs that are positive with estrogen beta another sub group of hormones. about 20 of triple negs are positive for beta and tomoxifen may be useful for those.
you have to have a new mets bisopsised or a node that hasnt been bioposied prior. at present i dont have a new node, only nodes nside my chest.
i always think of you kaz when im looking out for anything we trip negs can take.
http://www.anzbctg.org/clintrials.aspx?TrialType=Main&action=anz1001
you sound wonderful and good stuff that you are getting psych support and even funnier that your mum didnt recognise you and you say that can be a good thing, you crack me up!!
looking hot girl.
loves to you and everyone
xx
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Hi all
Dad is in hospital with a suspected heart attack, will find out what's going on tomorrow, and you won't believe that my brother's Father In Law also had a heart attack today as well. My brother's FIL is in Bundaberg and is waiting for the Flying Doctor's to take him to Brisbane. It's going to be another one of those years again !!!
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oh aussie -((hugs)) sorry to hear this.
thoughts wih you and your family.
try and keep strong.
luvs
xx
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Aw Aussie, am sorry to hear this, hope he pulls thru ok and yr brother FIl as well pulls through too, gosh two in one day. They have had alot going on up there with the floods and all so alot of stress probably did not help yr brothers FIL, i really hope they both get well pretty quick. thinking of you. warm hugs.
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Aussie - that's terrible news, I hope they are both ok.
Jenn - hope your port removal went ok. Mine was just on 12 months ago - and I can't remember much about it lol - must have been a non event. I know I had it done on the Friday and was back at work on the Monday.
My back is much better today - I actually had a day off yesterday - went to the chiro - Marnie thanks for the advice, my chiro is a wizard, and I've been going to him for around 15 years now - he did massage around the area and then put it all back into place. I feel so much better. But thought I should give it a rest yesterday, which also helped a lot I think.
I texted Kate a couple of weeks ago as she hadn't been on here for a while. She's ok, but dealing with some issues at the moment and trying to sort herself out.
Wow Karen!! You really are a hot looking lady! lol It's amazing how the blonde suits you. I tried a blonde wig on when I was doing chemo, and everyone laughed at me - not kind lol. But they were right blonde just isn't me, but you look amazing.
Chrissy - so good to hear you had a great time. You will have to go back sooner - it's not as if she's on the other side of the world lol.
Trish
xoxo
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Kazzie, is that you in those beautiful photos, you are one hot babe girl. just gorgeous. Love the hair blonde wow.
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Hi all...
Liv......if you knew my mother you wouldn't think it was awful at all...:) LOL
She isn't the kind, sweet lady that your mum is.......but I'm used to her & keep up the boundaries!!
Thanks for the info, there's so much going on out there sometimes it's so hard to take it all in! Glad the Xeloda is being kind to you & at this point it looks like I might be lucky too, just a bit of tiredness & very occasional nausea, nothing on the hands or feet so far....Fingers crossed its working though, thats the most important thing! Have you been checked since you started to see if it's doing the job?
Aussie....(((hugs))) Thinking of you & all your family, fingers crossed all turns out well x
Trisha.....glad your back is feeling a bit better & thanks for letting us know about Kate. Sorry she has some issues to deal with but glad to hear she is ok.
You know Trisha, re the wig, when I was in a wig shop a while back I tried a blonde wig on but it was that real whitey/blonde (if you know what I mean!) & it looked awful, then when I tried the darker blonde with the roots it was totally different! Thanks for the compliments.....it's always nice to receive them!!
And thanks to you too Annette....do you mind me calling you by your 'real' name?
Jenn.....hope the port removal was a non event like Trisha's!! Should be 'The End' now x
Chrissy.....I hope you're all settled back in your own house & life as you know it & well rested of course!!
Take care lovely ladies.
Karen x0 -
Hi everyone, I have been reading your updates but have not updated for a while because I was at my daughters place again for the last 4 days, and her computer is woeful.
Aussie, my thoughts are with you. I hope all goes well with your father and father in law. Who would have believed that they both had the same problem at the same time! (((((hugs)))).
Kazzie, I agree, you look great in that blod wig. It really suits you.
Jenn, congratulations, because by now you would have had your port removed. Another milestone achieved.
Midnight, you are so gentle and brave to have tried to keep that little kitten alive. You also need to now try to look after yourself. I dont know how you do what you do when your iron levels are so low. Rest as much as you can until the doctors know how to fix you and make you better again. (((hugs)))
Chrissy, welcome home. I am so glad that you enjoyed your holiday with your sister. It sounds like a lovely place where you stayed.
Liv, I am going to have a look at the sorbet trial as well, thank you for putting the link up.
Trish, nice to hear that your back is getting better. Having a bad back is so debilitating and it stops you from doing your normal every day things. I remember when I had slipped a couple of discs almost 20 years ago, that was the only time that I had depression. I know that I was difficult to live withtoo because I also had a short fuse then because of the back.
I saw the Oncologist again yesterday and my tumour markers have gone down again for the 3rd time in a row - wahoo!. I will be getting a bone scan, CT scan and MRI in March to hopefully confirm that the tumours have shrunk as well. I dont want one of the little blighters to slip through the net. The oncologist did give me some positive information yesterday. When I told him that I was worried about one of the tumours in the brain (Leptomeningeal Mets), because the maximum life span that I found doing my research was 15 months with most of them being less than 12 months. He assured me that he has a couple of patients who are surviving after 4-5 years, so I assume that they are probably on Xeloda or some other wonderful new chemo drug. Anyway, this made me pretty happy because technology is improving daily.
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Hi everyone. OK first to eat humble pie.... I am sorry I have not been here lately. Please don't think for a moment that it wasn't because you are not dear to me, but everything for me sort of went belly-up after I came back from QLD. To cut a long story short, and not to bore with details, I was struggling and to be honest decided that I really didn't like myself at all, so why would anyone else. So I just basically went into a hole and stayed there for a while. I went to a Dr about some blood tests I had and while there I mentioned that I was feeling very anxious. I've had depression before but not like this. I really thought I just needed some sedatives or something to take away the tears and then Í'd be OK. He asked a few questions and said it wasn't anxiety but deep depression. So he gave me a script for Effexor. I've been on them for about a month now, but really I started to feel the benefit within about 10 days and it's just been up and up since then. I am sleeping soundly for the first time in months and not needing to go to bed until 11.00pm or so. I was going to bed exhausted at around 8.00 every night. Very anti-social and not normal. I can see that now.
Being on the tablets also had the wonderful side effect of taking away my apetite, so I have lost around 7kgs. My apetite is returning to normal now, but I am on a roll and am motivated to keep shedding the pounds. I think I ate an awful lot to fill up and feel good. Now the tablets do that!!
I haven't read through the 20+ pages I have missed out on, but will do. Anyway I hope everyone is well and can forgive me my abscense. Again it was just me in a rotten place. Never my lovely friends here.
Love Kate xxx
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So good to see you Kate we were getting worried but pleased that things are looking up.
Big hugs
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