Australian Sisters

racy

Trish, you are in a difficult situation. I can't think of any way other than sand bags (which you don't have) to keep the water out. If it looks like coming in, lift the items that you can off the floor and place them somewhere higher.



If your doors are well sealed maybe you'll be ok.



Is it worth calling the emergency service hotline to see if they have any ideas?

Trisha-Anne

Well the rain has now stopped which is good.  The water on the back verandah hasn't risen any more in the last hour, and is about 2 inches from the top of the slab, so maybe we will be ok.  We have a drain that runs out into the paddock (my DH does think well sometimes - this drain was put in while we were still in drought!) and it's been running freely all day - but now it seems to be helping get some of the water from the back out to the paddock in the front.

Toilets are working well lol at least that crisis has been averted.  The garage is still under about 3 inches of water, but there's not really anything in there that the water can damage too much.

Keep your fingers crossed that the rain stays away for tonight, according to the weather people, we will have a little bit of respite tomorrow then back to flooding rain on Saturday and Sunday.

I'm off to have a shower, which is good news, didn't think we'd be able to do that earlier today with the septic system in crisis lol

Thanks for all your thoughts - very much appreciated.
Trish

xoxo

racy

How are you doing in the floods today Trish, Gerri and Jezza?

Trisha-Anne

We are doing ok - thanks Racy.

The rain pretty much stopped through the night, but there are still rivers where our driveway and road used to be.  Still so much water coming out of the hills behind us - it's amazing.
The level of the water on back verandah has stayed the same, and today we are trying to work out a way to get it off.  Not sure how we'll do that as yet.  But we have to try something, as even more rain is predicted for tomorrow and Sunday.

Garage is still flooded, but that's ok - not great, but it's not going to be the end of the world.

It's just drizzling here at the moment, but that should clear up soon according to the BOM site.
Trish

xoxo

Jennt28

Hope you stay dry and safe Trish!



Jenn

racy

Nice to see you checking in Jenn. How are you going?



Trish, I've been watching and listening to news and thinking of you, Gerri and Katopet. I have heard that Cooma, Queanbean, Goulburn and Wangaratta are all affected and many evacuated.



Do these floods have any impact on farming? I suppose it's mainly livestock farming in these areas?

gerrib

Thanks for your concerns re the flooding everyone. I got to my Rx treatment yesterday and today will be fine too. Another 20-40mm forecast for tomorrow though. Hope you don't get any of it up your way Trish. I know what that issue with the septic system is like - once there was a blockage in the system here and it was not a pretty sight in the house!

 Have you got your port sorted Jen?

 Gerri 

Trisha-Anne

Good to hear you are ok too Gerri, it's been drizzling most of the day, but at least the drains are working lol

Racy - the concern in this area is that most of the sheep that have been shorn are now wet and cold - yes the temps are pretty cold too - it's almost like winter, I've been toying with the idea of lighting the fire!  Main thing stopping me is that there's no dry wood lol  The other concern for sheep is that those that haven't been shorn yet are soaking wet, and with a full fleece on that gets pretty heavy and it can be hard for the sheep to stand.

Jenn - how are you going?  How's your port going?
Trish

xoxo

Jennt28

Hi all,



Glad to hear all dry so far!



Port was "draino'd" on Tuesday. Not a great experience but it is now much more comfortable. The incision is still spitting stitches which they had no solution for. Will just have to keep it covered so I don't scare anyone until it's all resolved.



So exhausted now that I managed to work yesterday at the office but my hubby had to meet me and drive me home at he end of the day...



Didn't go to the office today. Worked on my computer from bed... But had to get up this afternoon and go to a gynae appt.



My staging CT had mentioned "bulky" when referring to my handy dandy used uterus so I thought it best to have myself checked out. Particularly since I know that Tamoxifen is in my near future. Sure enough the lovely gynae thinks it needs addressing "but it's probably not cancer"... So now off for an ultrasound and probably a good clean out (D&C) in the coming weeks :-(



So it's all been a bit overwhelming this past week. Thank goodness no more FEC but now dreading the weekly taxol and wondering how on earth I'm going to keep working with it every week for 12 weeks!



Jenn

Jennt28

Stuff cancer and rain! We have the music up loud, the gourmet pizza is ordered and the red wine is in the glass (stuff my liver I say!).



It's Friday night in the house!



Jenn

racy

Trish, those poor sheep.



Jenn, enjoy the pizza and wine - the perfect Friday night meal.



I hope you don't need the D&C.

racy

Ladies, I'm going through a stage where I'm concerned about my privacy. I may delete a few of my posts that contain potentially identifying information. I hope you understand.

Trisha-Anne

Jenn - good to hear from you, but you sound fed up  - not that I can blame you, you've been through a lot just lately (((((hugs)))))  Enjoy the pizza and wine :-)

Racy - understand your fears, do what you need to xoxo

Trish

kyliet

Hi everyone,

Trish, thinking of you, we had to go to Goulburn today, very wet.  Lots of kids from DS school flooded in and I had to go and save my DD's dog as her roof had to be completely tarped.

Gerri, so glad you made your treatment, that must have been a relief.

Racy, you need to not be worrying so do whatever relieves any stress.

Jenn, I hope you enjoy your night in, wishing you hugs.

Kate, I am jealous of your warm weather. I look like a wombat with mange, my hair is coming out in clumps and I can't believe how cold my neck and head are. I should have bought a rain hat to add to my collection.

I went and bought paints and canvas today and started painting a kookaburra.

Good wishes to all, Kylie xxxxx

Jennt28

Racy - you do what you need to do. Just don't disappear completely on us - we would miss you. Do you think we need a secret password so we know it's you if you go incognito ;-)



Jenn

racy

Ladies, what is the name of the Aussie site that some of you are on? Not that I am thinking of joining it as I am sure BCO is best; just want to have a look.

suzieq60

Racy - here's the link:

http://www.bcaus.org.au/phpBB3/

gerrib

Looks like an interesting site susie58. 

I hope you enjoyed the pizza and wine Jen. Amazing that you can work through this. Take it easy. 

I'm  a little worried about the state of the skin under my breast and in the skin fold. It's nearly broken down and I only am up to Rx #12. I always get hives and some skin vascultis ( auto-immune) and I think it must be something to do with that as it is very early for such a nasty reaction. The top part of my breast is fine. I'm using Kenacomb which the RO prescribed. It's an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and has some cortisone. I'm seeing the RO again on Monday

Hope you don't get inundated again Trish and katopet. It's started raining here again.

 Enjoy your weekend

Gerri 

jezza

Just nice light rain here in Melbourne and welcome as we haven't had much here this year. Gosh the rain some parts of Aust. have had has been amazing ...and more to come unfortunately.

Jenn...your Friday nights sound good...thats us of a FRi. if DH isn't working...takeaway and telly! (and wine of course). I love that series Mad Men...anyone seen it? We have it on DVD although last night we had to watch Miss Fisher as a friend had a part in it.

Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend and the rain stops in those flooded areas. Trish I hope the sheep are ok as well.

jezza

suzieq60

Gerri - talk to me about skin breakdown - had it with both boobs. Not really anything they can do about it though. I bought some sanitary pads to put in there to keep the area dry. Whatever you do do not tape anything in under there - tape peels the skin off - can you tell I'm speaking from experience

We are Mad Men fans - seen the lot - own them all. A new series is just starting in the US - can't wait. We were also 'Big Love' fans - pity it's ended now.

Jennt28

Hey Aussie/Kiwi girls, I need a group hug...



My oldest daughter Melissa is 20 (I'm 46). In the past 2 years the mothers of three of her high school friends (all around my age) have all been through breast cancer. Only one of them has survived, so before my diagnosis in December my daughter had been to two mum funerals in the previous 14 months.



Her best friend's mother had been through it all and was a survivor. I don't know her diagnosis or er/pr/her status, just that she had been though all her treatments and was now clear and good. As of last week she has had an explosion of mets and my daughter has just found out this evening and has been told that the mum is not doing well and they have given her a "time stamp"...



Hugs just aren't doing it :-( This is a blow for my daughter's friend (single mum family) who is now going to lose her mother, and although I've never even had a conversation with this mum our family are all devastated for her and feeling kicked in the stomach.



My daughter pulled away from my hug. I have no words to give her to make it better. My husband has retreated to his study, and I can hear him sniffing. My 16yr old son has retreated to his bedroom. I'm sitting here feeling like my head is going to explode with emotion...



Three out of three women we know of lost. I'm the fourth we know of. We needed better odds :-(



So sad.... Jenn

kyliet

Jenn, I wish I could say something to make it better, my best thoughts are with you and your family. Holding your hand through cyberspace. Huge hugs, Kylie x

chrissyb

Awe Jenn (((((((hugs))))))).  It's really hard when we hear someone close to a family member has lost their battle with this disease and it makes us look very closely at our own mortality but to have three lost is devistating in anyones book.

Your DH is putting your daughters friends mum in your place and is projecting possibilities as is your daughter and there isn't much you can do about that but to reassure them that you are doing everything in your power to hopefully never have to put them in that position for real.  This disease really is a crap shoot but the way to learn to live with the odds is to just take one day at a time and enjoy that day to the absolute fullest.  Never put off what you can do today so you never look back with regret.

I feel your sadness and fear just remember you can do no more than you already are.

Love n hugs.  Chrissy

Jennt28

Thanks both.



Chrissy, this mum goes to a private hospital near our suburb. No research there which is why I chose to travel further to one of the largest research/teaching hospitals here in Sydney for my treatment. I have told my daughter to let her friend know that they can choose to get a second opinion or move oncologists to be able to have access to research trials and treatments.



I know myself from women on here like yourself that mets don't need to mean the end "is nigh". I thank you for sharing your journey so that those like me can see that there is hope and life...



I've taken one of my lexapro tabs (anti-anxiety). My GP prescribed them and told me to only take one when needed. I hate unnecessary drugs so I have only taken a few over the past couple of months. I think tonight no-one would think it strange for me to take one :-). I do feel less like my head is going to explode now...



Jenn

suzieq60

Just shows you how much this f-ing disease sucks. So sad.

Scared of mets myself with this bad back and hip. I've decided to keep going to the physio. I have an onc appt on 14th March for a Zometa infusion. If my back/hip hasn't resolved, I'll be having that conversation with the onc. My hip is still very sore, but now my back is achey too. Going to try and lie down as much as possible tomorrow to relieve some of the stress on the spine - after I go to the markets for my fresh fish. At least it doesn't hurt lying down, so that's something - mets are usually indicated if you have resting pain. Meanwhile doing my exercises faithfully...

Sue

jezza

Jenn ...its so hard to know what to say or do when you hrear news like this....especially when you don't know what the details of the diagnosis are.

Once again you are trying to give support to your family when you are probably the one who needs the most support.

You have only recently been diagnosed, well compared to me, and I know only too well how hard those type of stories hit you and your family in the early months. Your daughter is understandably shattered and must feel very scared.

As you continue on your "journey" (I hate that word!) you will find lots of women who are doing well years down the track. After more than 20 years of meeting women with breast cancer I have met so many who are doing amazingly well against the odds.

I know this probably doesn't help much at the moment but I totally feel what your family must be going through right now. Your daughter must be at a loss as to how to comfort her friend.

I'd like to be part of that group hug.

jezza xxx

racy

Jenn, sorry that your family is going through a bad patch right now. This disease is an epidemic and we hear and read about new diagnoses and untimely deaths every day.



Chrissy has given you very sage advice. If we do everything we can that we believe will help us to stay well, ultimately that's all we can do. I learnt from my psychologist that it's just as easy to think it won't recur as it is to think it will. In fact studies show that the odds of not having a recurrence are much greater. That's why, as Chrissy said, we should enjoy each day instead of worrying about something that may never happen. Easier said than done I know but the odds are in our favour.



You not only have your own fears to deal with but your family's. You probably feel that you want to reassure them to take away their worry and fear. Plus, you may feel a responsibility to stay well to prevent pain for your family. Having to worry about others' fears as well as your own puts extra pressure on you that you don't need.



All you can do is follow Chrissy's advice and tell your family, as I said, that your odds of a permanent recovery are good and you are doing everything the doctors advise you and more to keep well.



I guess also that if we try generally to appear cheerful, which I'm sure you do (though sometimes we don't feel it), this can lift the mood in the house and give others confidence that it will be ok.



Your family may be just starting to realise one negative possibility and it's an adjustment to then put that possibility into perspective, mentally.



I don't know if this helped you at all as ultimately we don't have total control. But I feel very much for your situation with the loss of the other mums and also feeling sad that your family are sad. Try not to feel responsible for their feelings though. None of it is your fault and you have your own feelings to deal with.



I think that if you and your family are able to discuss their fears openly and honestly and they can put them into perspective, things will be back to normal in a few days.

Of course, if anyone is really struggling, they could access a counselling service to help them.



Wishing you all well, especially you Jenn. Definitely sending you a virtual hug.

Jennt28

Thanks for the hugs everyone... :-)



Will keep on keeping on! Jenn

racy

Jenn, I hope you don't mind me making a comment about Lexapro. I was taking it for a couple of months and found it excellent (before I changed to Efexor for hot flushes).



But it was my understanding that it was supposed to be taken every day to be effective and to prevent mood swings. I suggest have a look at the product info sheet as it gives info about how the drug works and how frequently to take it. But if the pharmacist's typed label on the box says otherwise then disregard my comment.



Sue, I hope that your pains resolve soon. If they don't wake you at night, hopefully that's a good sign. Does a panadeine osteo tablet help? I assume that your physio knows your history so should be alert to any symptoms possibly BC related.



Does your onc do any regular blood tests or such? How often do you see him now? (Just curious).

suzieq60

I see him every 6 months for the Zometa. I'm starting to wonder if the extra aches are caused by the aromasin - something to discuss with the onc. I do have a very bad back - my bone scan freaked my onc out - said my spine looked really bad - full of osteoarthritis. Funny you mentioned it, I am taking the panadol osteo starting today. I'm permanently on anti inflammataries but they don't seem to help. I'm sitting here and have no pain, so that's something.

Jenn - go and give your daughter a hug - she is scared which is understandable.

Time for bed - see you tomorrow

Sue