Australian Sisters
Comments
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Yay Karen!!!!! Happy dancing for you.....woohooo!!!! That is such good news and yes, the perfect example of you not reading your own scans.......lol.
Wow Annette......I didn't realize that you were born without a thyroid! You really are a miracle woman!!! Hopefully the increased dosage of your thyroxene will improve your well being and you will begin to feel more like yourself soon.
Well I can now say that I have a GS who, in two weeks will officially be an adult.......the era of his schooling was officially closed last night with his year twelve graduation.......both exciting and sad. He did well and received two merits and two high achievement awards........I'm just so proud of him! He now has the task of finding some work before he starts Uni next year and I know that is not going to be easy as just from his school alone, there were 300 year twelve graduates.
We are on the move again tonight as we are going to a Gatsby Dinner over at Moonta Bay. It is a fund raiser for the Royal Flying Doctors and should be a good night. It is dress up so there should be some startling 1920's fashion on show. My dress up is just a black sheeth with uneven hem line with the top that I crocheted for DD's wedding over it and high boots for footwear. Nothing too startling as I haven't really had time to sew anything.......lol I checked out some matronly fashions and what I have come up with is pretty close to what the 'older' women wore........it's only the young things that wore the short skirts and dresses covered with fringing. It's about an hour and a half travel time so it will be another very late night........I think we are starting to get a little old for all this galavanting but it is fun!
Hope you are all doing well and have some lovely plans for the weekend.
Love n hugs. Chrissy0 -
Annette, I hope you start to feel better soon with the change in treatment...you really need special attention and I hope you get it!
Chrissy, you should be very proud of your GS and I bet he is proud of you too. You really are amazing with your "creations"....
I am in the Dandenongs in Victoria with DH this weekend. He was down here for a conference during the week so I joined him for the weekend. It is cold and raining and perfect for sitting around the fire and relaxing! We've been out for a long walk and some window shopping in the villages and we've watched a couple of videos. My final "holiday" before starting my new job....
Enjoy the weekend!0 -
Three cheers for you Karen on your good news, I know that I got those little fear niggles in my head when told I had my first grandy coming.
I was sure Murphy was lurking around just waiting for such an occasion to teach me a thing or two...lucky for me he was only lurking as I now have three grandsons.
Good to see you getting out and about Chrissy after throwing that wog off your back...I would love to think that I'd be around for one of the gs's graduations.
I can't believe that I have to go back and have my port of 2 weeks removed and another one inserted on Monday week. DH and I spent five hours at the chemo unit on Wed and four onThurs
trying to get this stupid port to work. I ended up having chemo through the vein after having x-rays and CT scans with contrast dye, to try to see what the problem was.
The whole reason for this port is my growing phobia of needle-sticks and the resulting bruises which accompany them. So, on Wed I walked out with five sticking plasters up and down
my left arm which, when removed, revealed the usual bruises.....except one! Would you believe the last stick was done by a tech in the CT dep't who did the usual swab, which almost had me in
tears knowing that I was going to be needle-stuck again. Out she comes with the syringe, I turned my head away at this point knowing that I was on the verge of tears, then I felt the tiniest sting right in
the middle of my inner elbow. She hooked me up to the machine that injects the contrast dye and got on with it.
Would you believe there isn't one mark at the spot she put the canula in, while the rest of my arm looks like a dyslexic chess board?
On Thursday, they put some kind of medical Drano into the port that was supposed to dissolve any blockages caught in the line from the port.
I'm trying real hard to find my big girl panties at the moment knowing that I will have to have chemo this week into the veins again and another stint in the O R with no gurantee that
the next port will work any better.
Looks like Murphy is still hanging around.
Sheila.
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Yes Chrissy, i am very blessed to be alive, i had a quick thinking peadiatrcian who got on to my case and got me sorted, tho i spent many months in hospital as a baby in special covered crib as i was not allowed to be around germs and everyone had to gown up and wear a mask and mum said, i was the student doc and nurses gineapig as they had to study my condition and learn heaps bout a baby with severe problems, with thyroid. i nearly died several times, but i made it still here 52 years later. i would love to meet the doc who saved me. but he has died. Dr Dilworth /Mathews.
Tammy, i hope soon i will feel better and be able to function without the continued tiredness, thanks heaps.
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All good news ladies great to read! Have a lovely, restful Sunday...good night.0 -
Hi all
I've had a stomach ache all week mainly on the left side and today it got worse, it got really sore and I felt really tired and a bit nauseas. My toilet has been normal except for today when I went 4 times. I don't know if there is anything around at the moment, maybe some sort of virus, I'll have to see how I go and maybe go to the Doctor's during the week if it doesn't get any better.
Good news Karen, I'm sure you will have years with your Grandson.
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how are you today Aussie. is that tummy any better,? hope so. hugs
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Sheila, I really felt for you reading your post....I hope this next port works for you...
Aussie, I also have an upset gut at the moment so perhaps there is a virus about...0 -
Oh Sheila! What a hassle for you! I do hope the next one works fine for you and you don''t have to have too many infusions through the vein. ((((hugs)))))
Aussie there are a few bugs going around at the moment here in SA so I dare say that there are a few over there as well. Here's hoping you get through without too many troubles.
Viji, hope you are not struggling too much with your chemo........it's awful doing it but know that each time you front up, you are killing those little buggers that made you sick and hopefully safe guarding yourself for the future.
Yep, as I thought, a very late night last night! We finally got home at 3.00 am! Yes I know, those hours are for teenagers and not old farts like me.......lol. It was a very enjoyable night out and there was a lot of fun had by all! The dinner was scrummy! On arrival we were given a glass of champagne and there were circulating horses doovers ( can't spell the real word....lol) then when we sat there were two small entrees followed by a roast of pork served with Waldorf salad and steamed veg........very nice! Deserts were a help yourself and the table was laid with fruit jellies, warm pineapple upside down cake with cream, fruit tartlets and skewers of fresh fruit. The Menu was very 1920's in it's preparation.
Today, when I finally woke up, has been one of relaxation........a really good thing that it's Sunday.......lol.
Hope your weekend has been a lovely one.
Love n hugs. Chrissy0 -
Hi all
Yes I still have a stomach ache and not really feeling well at all. I'm sure it's some sort of virus as I've had kidney stones before and I'm sure it's not that this time.
Chrissy glad that you had a great night.
Tammy hope you are feeling better soon.
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Karen, I was so pleased to read your good news, yay!!! Doing a happy dance for you.
Aussie - really hope you are feeling better soon (((hugs)))
Sheila - oh you poor thing. You've been through so much (((hugs))) I hope it all gets sorted properly for you xoxo
Chrissy - you gaddabout old fart you lol - sounds like a great night!
Wow Annette - you really are special!! My dog Beau is on thyroxin lol - he has thyroid problems, and takes the human medication for it :-)
Viji - how are you going? I hope you are comfortable xoxo
Not much new for me, except I went in to get a haircut yesterday, and the hairdresser scalped me!! I have a short back and sides now, and not impressed at all. Feels like I'm back to post chemo when it was just starting to grow again grrrr ..
Trish
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sorry you still unwell with that tummy pain, Aussie, hope it will go very soon.
Question ???????
When they do a scan of the uterus lining, is that the one when they fill you up with heaps of water and insert the thing right up inside you and you have to hold the water. i think i had one years ago and i found it to be very uncomfortable and i did not like it then, i think i will take some panadol before i go. don't know when it is yet, but already not looking forward to it. I am a sukky bubba i know. but after that dam colonoscopy that time, i have come more fretful of examinations that involve intruments been inserted into my body and trying not to pea yourself as well while they doing it, it was gross. so anybody got an idea if that is the usual one they do, let me know please.
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wow, he is quite young to have that Trish, how did they come to realiae he was hypo thyroid, he is low in thyroid i gather. to take pills. he will be fine on them.
Viji, i am sorry, i missed your one again, hope you ok and resting well. take care dearie, thinking of you and all the best . Big Hugs, i did not have chemo, so can't talk from experience how it must feel, but do feel for you having to have it and anybody who has to endure or had to.
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Annette - I'm not sure about your scan, haven't had one done of the uterus for decades lol. Hopefully someone else will have an answer.
Beau is my old boy - he's at least 10 years old. We don't know his exact age as he was a rescue dog. He was diagnosed about 5 years ago as his coat was pretty awful and he was fighting with the other dogs a lot. Luckily we had a vet who was on the ball and after a blood test showed his thyroid levels were super low, so onto the thyroxin he went. Has been a lot better since and will be on the tablets for the rest of his life. It was the aggression to the other dogs that was worrying, now he's pretty docile, although he puts poor baby Finn in his place when needed. But Finn is a puppy so has to be firmly told by an older dog when he's getting to be too much.
Beau was never aggressive with humans, only the other dogs in his pack, but it was getting very bad, and we thought we might have to have him put to sleep, which would have been a shame. He'd already been through so much in his former home, he was a frightened timid boy when we got him, and absolutely terrified of men. He's a lovely outgoing boy now, and it's only the occasional man that has him running and hiding lol.
Trish
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Chrissy, Trisha and Midnight, thank you for your kind words. Recovering from a rough 2nd treatment and dreading the next one. But looking forward to finishing TC at the end of Nov.
I have been following all your stories and feel like I am getting to know you all better. Chrissy, living through all your experiences and can't wait to do all that too. Keep sharing all the good news as well as the bad.
All the best every one...0 -
Sorry, i am getting your kids mixed up trish, lol we call our animals our kids, i kept thinking Beau was your young dog, thats right finn is the youngest. Which baby did you have put down awhile go before you shifted, i have the photo of him. he was gorgeous, as. you did didn't you ? or i am getting mixed up again with somebody else.. there must of been a man that ws really cruel to him, such a shame, but glad he is ok now. i used to think, it must be nice to have life of a dog or cat. but yea if they have nice families tht adopt them, some poor dogs have a life of sheer HELL and other animals too. People think i am mad, but before i leave this world, i would love to see a shark close up, like a great white shark and actually go into a cage under the sea and be where they swimming. i would probably poo myself, if one came up to me with a big smile and asked me out for dinner purely to satisfy his own needs (with me as the dinner), , . but i would probably be ok, i have to learn to dive for that. but to see one up really close. always been facinated with them, yea i am nuts i know. love watching shark documentries too and loved Jaws, i met him when i was at universal studios in holly wood. went on the jaws tour and we on this train thing that went right around the park, and he come out of the water with an open GOB, i saw the asian man across the way leap about six feet off his seat with fright. lol it was quite sudden lol. i think alot of people did jump, but he seemed to take longer to reach earth and regain his composure again, poor man lol, i know that Jaws was mechanically made, but he looked so real, even with redish gums, like he had just had lunch .catch you later.
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Hi all
This morning I felt sick but once I ate morning tea I felt better, didn't have stomach ache today but still feel a little funny in the stomach. Hopefully was just a bug.
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Oh Viji - you poor thing - you are doing Taxotere aren't you?! I had a terrible time on it, the first treatment nearly killed me, they reduced the dose for the second one, but still not good so I didn't end up doing the third one. I had so many horrible se's from it, but the taste change was horrendous. Everything tasted like mud, so I had trouble staying hydrated.
I found the only think I could tolerate without a lot of difficulty was the chocolate Connoisseur icecream, and only half a teaspoon at a time lol.
Sending you ((((hugs))))
Aussie, hope your tummy is better today (((hugs))))
Trish
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Ewww Trish, that would of been horendous, feel like you eating mud, yuk, i do not envy you girls having chemo. i am glad at this stage i only had rads. you poor ladies.
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Viji - I hope you feel better soon. Where are you going for chemo?
Jenn0 -
Bumping for Dita.
Hi all! Sorry to have been quiet for the last couple of days but my body said stop and so did the mind......lol......too many late nights for this old girl........lol.......feeling much recovered now.
Viji, don''t forget to report what you feel to your onc each appointment as he/she can adjust your meds to make it a little easier for you. Hope you get through without too many hassles.
Aussie, sure hope that bug has decided to leave your system and you are feeling a whole lot better.
Trish, whats happening with that pain of yours?
Jenn, good luck with your move......exciting time for you. Sure hope things are settling for you at the new job and you are finding your way around.
Annette, haven't had a uterine scan but I did have an Uterine ultra sound and they also did the internal ultra sound to get a good picture of what was going on. It wasn't painful, just uncomfortable. Sure hope yours is the same and it comes back clean.
The vertigo has finally lifted and today I took my first venture out without my stick......yay!!!! There were a few quick steps to the left and then the right but most were in the direction I was headed.......lol......now, if only this deafness would go I would be once again back to normal. It is no better but at least I feel okay......it just sounds weird listening to everything in natural mono......hahahaha! I have been sitting crocheting as I have learned a new technique which I am practicing.......I'm getting faster as my fingers get the hang of it.
Hope your day has been a good one all!
Love n hugs. Chrissy0 -
Chrissy, it is an ultra sound and the internal one was what i had that other time. it would of been better if i did not have to drink this liquid and hold it. i am bad enough now with getting to the toilet quick enough before i start wetting my nickers. real pain that is. glad that horrible vertigo you had, has gone away too. just be careful tho with quick movements, you don't get dizzy still and fall over and hurt yr self as i found that, turning quick,made my head go very dizzy even when vertigo had gone after i had that bad.
Yea trish, how is the pain that you have been having?, has it eased at all.?
Aussie, hope you feeling better today and tummy ache gone. Hugs
jenn, hope shifting goes well and how is yr mum gettting on.?
Viji, how are you, hope you are having a good day. hugs
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Jenn, I am having my treatment at Concord Hospital. Good luck with your new job.
Trish, thanks for sharing your experience with taxotere. Yes Chrissy I am going to talk to the oncologist when I see her on Tuesday for my next treatment. Hope i have a better experience this time.
Midnight, thank you!0 -
Hi all!
Viji chemo accumulates in your system so each one can be a little harder to get through than the last but the good thing is, each one you have is one less than you need to have. (((((hugs))))))
Yeah Jenn, I forgot to ask how your mum was getting on......sure hope things there have settled a bit so your mind is a little easier on that score.
Annette, the last one I had, they let me release a small amount to stop the pain of a distended bladder.......I was so thankful for that, as you say, it gets really hard to hold onto. Maybe stash a clean pair of knickers and a zip lock baggy in your handbag....... just in case. I have to take Lasix as part of my BP med regime and they can make me desperate for a loo at times so I have gotten into the habit of carrying that extra pair of knickers in the zip lock baggy......just in case......lol. I think it's better too be prepared that to stink......I've walked passed too many older women who have that familiar odor.
Aly, the crocheting is coming along nicely and you should have it in a few weeks.
I had a lovely compliment on Saturday night, I was told I have lovely skin.......lol......not a bad compliment for an old duck who is on estrogen blockers and really doesn't do anything special and never has.......lol......it always surprises me when I get told that.
Hope you all had a great day!
Love n hugs all. Chrissy0 -
Viji - wish you were at Westmead cause then I could pop down the hallway and visit with you during treatments. I know a few oncs over at Concord. Who do you normally have and have they signed you up for any clinical trials?
Finally just a quick update on me...
THE HOUSE - our house sale went unconditional last Friday but NOW they have let us know they have to have a valuation done... It's happening tomorrow and I certainly hope it passes their lending institution requirements because I've already taken all of the pictures and hooks off the walls and don't want to have to stick them all up again to put the house back on the market!
THE JOB AND STUDY - What a challenge!!!! I knew I was stepping into something that would challenge me but this is far more challenging than I had envisaged. Suffice to say that I'm having some "win" days and some "lose" days. Doesn't help that my line manager left on an overseas trip 3 days after I started and so I'm answering straight to the BIG GUYS in his absence. I'm basically building a whole business plan from the ground up and creating as I'm going. Going to be VERY busy over the next few months getting out and about visiting hospitals around the country to try and drum up some funding and business for our clinical trial database management system that is not currently paying its way.
I'm having some fun being able to email or phone the research staff in departments around the hospitals and invite myself along to meet them, but it's a little stressful. Have even wangled myself and my Database Manager a 15min presentation slot in a UNSW Paediatric Research Week session in two weeks time. Just as well I don't mind standing on a stage and blathering at people.
As for my university study. I'm panicked but can't be bothered. I have two subjects and have completed all the term/semester stuff for them with OK marks. Now I get a "take home" exam released this Friday and a sit down short/long answer exam at the end of November. The "take home" one this week is two essays that are then due for submission by the following Friday. So, I will be out of contact pretty much all weekend and next week again.
THE BREAST CANCER - hmmm, long time since I've mentioned this on here. Probably because I'm still so overwhelmed with ongoing problems. It's nice that I'm now working somewhere where no-one knows what I went through because it's a separation from my home and medical "life". At home I am tired. Still so darned tired all the time. And still pretty depressed I think.
I have ongoing pain. Not in my reconstructed breasts but in my neck and abdomen and arms and legs. I think a lot of it is caused by the Tamoxifen and the trial drug (Denosumab) that it appears I am on. I pretty much know that I'm on the real drug because I get all the bone aches every 3 months after I go get the shot. I've even considered giving up the trial because of it. But, I figure I don't know how much is the Tamoxifen.
My flap reconstruction has left me with impressive boobs but edema in my abdomen. It comes and goes and when it's bad it's pretty painful and uncomfortable.
Did I tell you all that I delayed my nipple reconstruction surgery? It was supposed to be next week but with starting a new job (where no-one knows I had breast cancer) and moving, I decided the best thing was to delay. So, I'm now scheduled for that surgery at the end of January. Will just tell my new work that I'm off to have some sort of "female" minor surgery and take the time off as sick leave.
MUM - thanks for asking :-) She's OK but not great. I'm stressing over making sure she has groceries delivered each week and making sure her bank account is OK and her bills paid (I'm now doing this). She is still accessing her accounts for day to day expenses and so it's getting very confusing. I had to phone her yesterday morning to ask who she had written $600 and $65 cheques to. She was able to tell me who the larger one was for (the plumber installing a special hand held unit in her shower) but was unable to communicate to me who the smaller one was for. It's like speaking with a child of about 4.5yrs or a person with disabilities like our daughter... I cried after getting off the phone.
Thanks for reading, and love you all. I am looking forward to the get-together. I will have to leave a bit early on the Sunday though because I now have a work Christmas thing to go to in the afternoon at the big boss' house.
Jenn
HA - this wasn't such a quick update was it...0 -
Wow Jenn! So much happening for you! Sure hope that valuation goes well and all can go smoothly to the settlement. It's such a worry for you trying to sort your mum when you are so far away........is there no one over there that can help?
On the subject of your pain and fatigue, have you spoken to your doc about both? or maybe it's more that you have taken on more than your bruised body can cope with right now? Whatever the reason I do hope you get some relief somehow.
Your new job sounds fantastic all be it a challenge.......sometimes we really need to do that just to prove to ourselves that we can do it.......lol.
Yep, not long now till the get together and I too am so looking forward to seeing all again and meeting those that weren't there last year. I know there will be a few missing but hopefully next year they will be able to come......where ever it is.
Love n hugs. Chrissy0 -
Jenn, great to read your update. Please don't over-commit yourself. Too much stress is bad!
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Jenn, good to hear from you. Remember to take care of yourself too!
I was at a talk today and the Jung quote on loneliness was mentioned..."Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself...". It made me think of this topic and how we can never be lonely here :-)
Greetings to everyone.0 -
Oh Tammy - that's such a great quote - and yes none of us feels lonely here as we have each other, and we can each relate and communicate to each other.
Jenn - wow girl, you have so much going on in your life at the moment. But in some ways, I think that's "you" lol. I remember when I first "met" you, you said basically that you didn't have time for bc because your job was busy etc, etc. I think you are one of those go get em girls, get the job done girls, and your life isn't complete unless you have a million things on the go at the same time. You are good at what you do (never doubt that) and you get things done. Look at what you've achieved over the past two years! Stress isn't good - but there is such a thing as "good stress". So long as you balance the good stress so there's more of it than the "bad stress" you'll win. There's nothing wrong with being stressed about meeting deadlines and learning new things - it's good for us to be challenged, and it gets our minds thinking about other things - other than ourselves and bc - and that's good. Just make sure you don't overdo it lol!!
I too am sooooo looking forward to seeing everyone again, it's only four weeks away :-)
My pain is still there, but the last week has been better than the weeks previously. My Dr hasn't called me back again, I'm pretty much giving up until I go see the onc in January. I know you are all going to jump on me, but the only alternative is to find another GP and start all over again. I've been with this GP for 20 years and I love him - he's never been like this before. I think he's convinced it's a problem with my back that's causing nerve pain in my abdomen. And I'm happy if that's what it is. I want to talk to my chiro before I make any decisions as to what can be done about it, if that's what it is.
My consolation is that IF it were mets to the ovaries or that general area, then it would most likely be from the ILC - and that's pretty slow growing. It's not likely to suddenly grow so fast as to take over everything in a month or two.
Everything else is going well - DH and I are going on a sunrise balloon ride in the morning, so I'm really looking forward to that, then my BFF (we've been BFF for over 40 years) is coming to visit tomorrow and will meet us after the balloon ride. A blissful day lol.
Trish
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Jenn....no wonder you're tired with so much going on in your life!! I remember asking my GP if I do something that causes my bones to ache for days was it harmful in the long term, she said as long as it's worth it, go for it! So I guess my point is if you enjoy all that you are doing then the tiredness etc is worth it.....only if you're enjoying it all.... When I had my nipple reconstruction I could have gone back to work the next day, it's very easy & painless....good luck. I hope your house valuation comes in at the right price & you don't have to put it back on the market!!!
Trish....I hope you get this pain sorted sooner rather than later, pain is never good (((hugs)))
Chrissy....we all love a compliment don't we? I bet you do have lovely skin....some people are just blessed & don't have to do anything to it....not me!!!
Annette....I hope you're feeling ok & I think Chrissy's suggestion re the spare knickers in your handbag is a good one!! Take care.
Viji....I hope the chemo goes ok....as Chrissy said, each one done is 1 less to go....she's a wise woman our Chrissy....:)
Hubby & I are off the Hayman Island in 2 weeks.....really looking forward to it, been stocking up on new summer clothes & a new bikini!! Today I'm off for a mani & pedi....the Xeloda really plays havoc on my hands & feet! Worth it though to keep keep the cancer stable...:)
Well have a good day all.
(((Hugs)))
Karen xxx0
