For Older People with Sense
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Karra
The hardest thing for me to do was tell my 2 grown sons.Like you I was always healthy,I think it all came as shock to them..That was five months ago.Please share the info from your GD.We will all be here for you.The ladies here are so helpful and supportive.Take one day at a time.
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allyson: this is our flower fairy.....3jays0
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finley 0 -
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Good Morning Everyone: I really appreiate the support and encouragement from all of you. Everyone has a different way of expressing themselves, and I have not heard one comment that I would take as anything but positive. I have been on this site since Sept 1, waiting for my testing and dx to be complete. I read and researched a lot. I was prepared for a cancer dx, so I wasn't as shocked as my kids or my boyfriend who refused to talk about it until it hit him smack in the face. I know that when I go into surgery that my dx could be completely different than it is right now...I'm still just hoping and praying for the best outcome.
What I've done while waiting is prepare my body to be in optimal condition for whatever I may need in the way of treatment. I'm on a gluten free diet, eat lots of raw vegetables and salads, juicing several times a day, exercise, and so on. A side effect of that is I lost about 7 lbs that I wasn't really needing to lose, but it's ok. This has kept me busy and focused, so right now I'm able to get through the days fairly well by doing something positive for me.
What really saddens me is when I go on other threads and see all of the young women who are trying to raise their families in the midst of these bc challenges. As a single mom raising 4 kids, I don't know what I would have done! That is when I feel blessed to have been able to reach 71 years with little or no health issues. I have a lot of great memories (I've forgotten the bad ones) and I hope to have many more!
Tonight I'm meeting some girlfriends for dinner, and I'm not going to spoil the evening by giving them this news just yet. There is still time.
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A little off topic here. My youngest daughter had her first violin concert last night. The middle school concert included the 6th graders first -- they actually sounded pretty good going thru all of their exercises and they played Old MacDonald, Mary Hand a Little Lamb and Old King W----. I can't spell the king's name! Oh and the orchestra includes violins, violas, cellos and base --- all strings.
Then the 7th graders played --- OMG, they were really good! The teacher said that now we could see what our 6th graders are working towards. My DD told me afterwards that she wants to take lessons this summer so she can improve.
I told her she could play Happy Birthday for me in July!
Phyllis
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I have noticed that the best concerts, plays or parades that I have attended have been the ones with one or more of my children participating.
My mother always used to say that she wanted an "orchestra" of her grandchildren playing for their 50th anniversary. There were about 10 grandchildren then, four or five of whom could play some instrument but all the four families live in different cities. My daughter transcribed the music of "happy birthday" for each of the instruments and took them down to the parking garage to have their one and only rehearsal (apparently it had great acoustics). The little ones lined up in front to sing while the musicians played "happy anniversary to you" - twice - because Mom liked it so much. I'm so glad that they made that effort because Mom only lived about six weeks more.
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Lassie, what a gift you gave your Mom!!! I'm sure she replayed the occassion many times in her mind as she spent her last weeks on this earth. My Dad cried at a performance that my son was in when they played orchesteral music. I was in the band all through high school and I think it really moved him to see my son play. My Dad has passed and my son is now 30, so those days are long gone, but I'll never forget seeing my Dad's eyes well over...
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Three Jays I had a lumpectomy, then both chemo 4 AC and 2 of 4 Taxol (ended early due to neuropathy) and then 38 rads. I had a lumectomy and that calls for rads. Yes our Dx is very similar. DId you know that a grade three has three parts to it, I didn't until my rads Dr explained mine and said the part that indicates agressiveness was a two not a three. I was glad to hear that. Still I would rather not be a three, in fact I wouldn't have minded skipping cancer all together. LOL
There is still alot about all of this that I don't understand. Can you imagine if they tried to explain all of it to us at once? It was so hard to take it all in. Still is.
GInger
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I didn't know Grade 3 had 3 parts to it. I have to admit that I didn't think about the grade 3 at all until the onco mentioned the "agression" factor. At that point I just wanted the BMX no matter what. I have to admit that I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop even though I was a stage 0! It's really stupid but I just have the feeling that it could easily recur. I haven't seen anyone go from stage 0 to mets yet but I know there are people who have done it!
Kaara, it is difficult to tell your famiy, especially since women are often the strong ones in the family dynamic and are used to taking care of eveyone else. I honestly thought they would just fall apart without me to organize Thanksgiving and Christmas last year! Later I realized I was overestimating my own importance! It felt good to kick back and let them cook for me and do the cleaning for a change. This year it's all back to the usual but my daughter is more than capable of taking it on and soon I'm going to let her.
So sorry, Kaara, for your diagnosis. Feel free to ask anyone here for directions--it's a long, arduous road no matter what.
Gotta go play with the dog before he has a fit.
Love to all, Dragon
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I let DD take on Christmas about 4 years ago...the best thing I ever did. At long last I get to have some time to get ready, decent clothes to get out and wear, and I make the most of 'my poor old back' and find a comfortable chair to sit on and watch the proceedings from. I always remember my Grandmother doing just this ! The last 2 years I haven't needed to trade on my back...I really HAVE to sit down, I just can't stand up for long !! I never really wanted this 'aged parent' thing to come along and slap me in the face, but it ain't that bad now it's here.
One of the best things about not doing Christmas is just no rushing about shopping, and then the cooking of it all. My cooking rates about a 1/10 so nobody really misses my efforts ! I always used to make a very big thing of decorating the house, decorating the table, fancy crackers and small table presents for everyone... 2 or 3 different wines, now I am free of all this hassle. DD and SIL do it their way now. Last year they put on an absolutely magnificent meal. I complimented them afterwards, and they both looked at one another and cracked out laughing....they'd got EVERYTHING from the frozen food store (DD hates to cook, like me ) and I had no idea at all, it just tasted the same to me as fresh food would have done !!!
Kaara...did I say welcome, can't remember. Sorry if I didn't.
lassie, the orchestra your grandchildren put on sounded lovely.
Phyllis, ditto !! Your daughter did you proud. I remember driving everyone mad with my rendition of Baa-baa black sheep, as I got going on the violin...still have the thing somewhere...must look it out, might be a Stradivarius, and I will be a millionaire !!!!!
Isabella.
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oh, Isabella!!if it is, and you are: take a longgg vacation, and your back fixed before... Florida is sunny, esp in the winter... hahaha however, Hawaii is much beter.
the orchestra playing sounds so wonderful!!!what a wonderful gift!!!
K Dargon: i still don't know how it was staged for me; but they did BMX, and told me they did it asap bc it was so aggressive... on the other hand, they told me i probably had it for 10 years: so how does that work!!!
i missed y onco appt , and have to make a new one.. im gonna ask her to tell me this time.....
she's lovely, the 2nd one i had. First was the head of oncology, totally didn't take my ms into account.. i ended up in ICU after the first A/C; he still tried AGAIN in 2 weeks, and i ended up in ICU again!!!so, I called my present one.. she went off on him, one of the nurses told me.. He apparently told her what he told me... that i wasn't "touch enough for chemo" and i would probably die... WHAT A JERK11 so, my present onco titrated down the dose. i ended up doing 22 txs in all.. took forever, but im still here.. so haha on him!!!
Kaara, im so glad your so calm (sometimes, I bet...) you'll do well, no matter what.. just eat the way you are now! it can only help eating so healthy.. i admit, its a struggle for me.....................3jays
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my typing really sux.. sorry. between the le swollen hand, and neuropathy, im thinking santa may have to bring me the voice recog. program Dragon, for christmas......oh well... youcan't get rid of me that easy, eh gals??? ...........3jays0
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3jays! No problem! I understood every word you said! Getting ready to go to bed and for 3 nights I've dreamed about my cell phone. Hope I don't have that dull dream again! In the dream the darn thing doesn't work, and it real life it doesn't work. Dreams are supposed to be wish fulfillment!
Dragon
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Just want to say I love the little flower fairy photos, Alyson & 3jays. Such delightful little girls. And your flowers, Alyson, are Bee-u-Tee-ful.
A special welcome hug for Kaara.
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Good morning everyone!
Some good news yesterday. I saw my doctor who prescribes my bioidentical hormones, and of course, he wouldn't renew the prescriptions until I'm through surgery and treatment, and said "we'll see" after that. BUT...my vitamin D-3 levels went from 27 to 57 and my CRP levels were way down from before. Everything was in balance and I was on the low end of the scale for my estrogen and progestrone levels, so I was not estrogen dominant. My thyroid was balanced for the first time ever.
I'll take this nfo to my BS when we meet on Monday in hopes that it will mean something to him.
Had a great dinner with girlfriends last night, but didn't mention my challenge. Just didn't want to put a downer on the fun we were having. Off to see the grandbaby today...what fun!
3jays...I don't know what I would do if I got an onco like that! Not tough enough for chemo? They should not be allowed to say that to a patient. What's his name...I'll avoid him like the plague!
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My CRAP levels seem to be lowing, too! How do you check yours Kaara? I tend to go with how I feel at the end of the day....hehehehehe
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ROFL, Barbe! Good one...teehee!0
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LOL! Happy to provide opportunities for laughter!
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Think my levels are always low - have become a really grumpy old lady especially when people are idiots. Its only morning here, think I will have to do something about coffee before I go on a church outing!!!We usually avoid such things but couldn't find an excuse this time. We are going to do a sculpture walk whic should be interesting. I will take the camera.
Hope you all have a great weekend
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LOL, Barbe on the CRAP levels. Mine are doing better today because I am off work until after Thanksgiving! Had to use up vacation time, so I am taking this time to get my head in a better place. I went snack shopping at Costco last night with my youngest. We were so silly and laughing! We bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner and decided to call my teenager at home and tell her the chicken was alive! So while my youngest was talking to her on the phone, I was balking like a chicken in the background. Even my teen was laughing. She said later that is was good to hear me laughing again!
3jays: On the typing --- have you seen how the people who text type?? I swear we will have a generation who won't be able to spell! Dragon will type it how it hears it, correct? I laugh to think if I did that all of the ummm's and ohhh's you would see. You are doing just fine and we get what you are trying to say!
Phyllis
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I wonder, Mo2 if you make a mistake and say, 'backspace' or 'delete' does Dragon type that into the message?
Sheila.
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I got myself the new iPhone 4s yesterday and have discovered that a girl by the name of Siri will dial and send messages for me all I have to do is speak into the phone.....lol.......the only problem was, today I tried to ring my DH and she couldn't understand what I was saying! Oh well, I guess I'll have to either change his name or make sure I say every sylable very clearly. Still learning!
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Good morning, Ladies. Seems to be a lot of laughing going on here the past few days and that is always a good thing.....it is the best medicine as they say. Kaara, I am glad you had a nice day out with your girlfriends...I think friends are so important, especially women.....even if they don't have BC, they understand what you are talking about and where you are coming from in a way a man never will. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that you have fun on your outing, Alyson...am not sure if it was this thread or not, but that one rose you posted a pic of, the one that looked like velvet was gorgeous.
Cyndi's memorial service was absolutely packed and really a nice tribute to her. I am glad she is no longer suffering because even though she always tried to make the best of it, she had a really rough few months.
Not much going on here, but next week will be action packed, getting Thanksgiving dinner together. I am still off treatment and feeling fine....hope this continues through the holidays and then once they are over I will be ready to get back in the saddle.
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Who said "idiots"? One vivid dream (nightmare) I had, I was arrested for a hate crime because I called an idiot an idiot.
DH and I celebrate 35 legal years next Sunday... We have a full week -- he's taking a friend to the VA hospital for surgery a couple hours away, and will stay overnight. We're going to his cousin's for Thanksgiving which is always a howling good time - lots of laughter and great conversations. I'm taking a cherry pie.
Yesterday we started cleaning out the guest/spare room of excess furniture (it was the catch-all) and today after Saturday cleaning, I'm going to set up my sewing machine. Thanks to all for the talk of sewing - it got my juices flowing... It's been awhile since I had a real space for my sewing stuff; every time I would set it up, something would happen and we'd need that space for guests or.... Well, guests will just have to work around my sewing because it's coming out now, and I'm going to make Something/s. Have been poring over patterns & looking at all the small projects that need doing...
We have rain this weekend and are glad to be warm and dry. Hope everyone has a pleasant, comforting weekend...
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I am getting ready to tackle the hated chore: clean out the garage. I don't know how it happens but stuff just ends up there. ARGGHHH!
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Question: I have had pain on my rib on the cancer side for months. It is better then worse at times but never goes away. I saw my radonc Wednesday and hate him so I didn't say anything. I am seeing the onc on 12/7. Should I wait until then or see if I can get in earlier? Thoughts? I am thinking it is costochondritis from the rads.
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Barbara, my fingers were poised to type costchondritis and then I saw you already thought it. Let her know, of course, and keep us posted!
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Barbara,
Good question. I saw my BS on Thursday for a final f/u before spring and asked about the 3 biggies -- new, recurrence, and mets. She said if anything feels different or wrong, just call us. Were I in your shoes, I'd call you MO asap just to see what they say. It's the MO that would order a bone scan anyway. Better safe than sorry, and if you're comfortable with your MO, then call them whenever you need...no need to wait, especially in our shoes.
Keep us posted.
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