Any 40-ish survivors?
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Thanks ladies..I will give the Crystal Light Pure a try..and the iced coffee might work too. My girlfriend that goes to treatments with me is a nurse and she does keep forcing the water down my throat. Which did help I'm sure.
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Heather, every fluid tasted horrid to me during chemo, koolaid seemed to work a little - water tasted like a rusty metal pipe (I"m guessing that's what it would have tasted like anyway). The OC told me not to worry about sugar or calories etc while in chemo, just keep food in the stomach to help with the nausea, and drink lots of fluids.
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mammachick, I went to high school in clarion county! grew up in venango co.
Heather, my parents now live at St. Pauls, in Greenville. Sounds like great places for care, I know Magee is top rated womens hospital. Like the others said, just drink, drink and drink more. Also I think eating anything you want is ok during chemo. You can worry about a clean diet when it is all done.
Getting ready to take off the dressings and get my 1st post tat shower. I think the dressing are stuck.
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Christine= My mom grew up in a little town, I mean little, named Sligo. I spent many a summers and vacations up there at my grandparents. So what was your first impression today after the bandages came off?
I agree with Gina and Christine just eat and drink what you can and worry about a better diet when it is all done. Some days bread was all that really tasted good. Everything was off, what was sweet was sour to me, salty no taste, sour very bland. It all comes back though.
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Thanks ladies. I'm trying my best to drink and eat. Having a hard time keeping it in my stomach though. At least I'm not throwing up..campbells chicken noodle soup is about the only thing that tastes ok..Maybe if nothing else I will lose a few pounds..I could stand to.
Sligo,,,we would go camping up there almost every weekend. I love it up there it's absolutely beautiful. Such a small world..
Hope you all had a great day..I was able to get a bit of Christmas shopping done, but it took everything I had and I only did 3 hours. I feel like such a weakling/wimp!
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I KNOW where sligo is, there where a few kids who lived there and went to high school with us. I went to AC Valley HS, in foxburg. I definetly grew up in the sticks. It is beautiful, but also boring and dang cold in the winter.
heather, you are not a wimp, I am impressed you are doing any shopping, be easy on yourself. I thought I would lose weight during chemo, but thanks to steriods and carbs, I gained a few. I ate alot of dry cereal, crackers, etc.
mamachick, first impression of the tats is great. They are nice and small and look real. I like the position (the old ones where sagging and bigger, thanks to extra weight, breast feeding, etc). Just already tired of putting on dressings and ointment, but just one week. My PS also told me he could laser my original scars if the do not fade to my satisfaction. I love that man.
Ok, need to get alot done today, shop, wrap, clean and get ready to leave on vacation next saturday. Love you all.
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Hey women! I was so going to recommend the Crystal Lite Pure stuff too. Although I never even heard of Stevia--what is it? Is it natural?
Just got back home from an NYC wedding. Jack stayed with my parents, and hubby and I had 2 adult nights in New York. It was a blast! (I will be asleep the SECOND Jack goes to sleep tonight!) Fun to catch up with y'all. (margaritas...leather vest and chains....HILARIOUS.)
Love to everyone!
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profbee, Glad you had a great weekend, I would bet NYC was beautiful for the holidays. I believe you have some upcoming surgery? Are you getting excited?
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Hey, Christine! I DO! A week from tomorrow! I told hubby I was looking forward to it...and I was like, okay, not the surgery, but the squishy boobs part!
I'm SO sick of these TEs. It's going to be great to have something that feels more normal (trying not to have crazy expectations).NYC was NUTS. It was SantaCon--a million people come into the city dressed as Santa and just do pub crawls all day...so on top of the wedding craziness, we had all those crazies to deal with! LOL. It was way crowded, but very Christmasy.
So, it definitely got us into the spirit! 0 -
I am very happy with my squishy boobs. I think they feel normal as they can, at least now I can give soft hugs. I am amazed at how much sensation I have regained since even my exchange. My PS had to do alot of numbing to do my tatoos (ouch). The exchange surgery was easy, you will be ready for Santa. Makes me think of the Christmas song "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth".
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Prof - Stevia is a plant and there are several natural sweeteners made from it, including truvia, which is what is in Crystal Light pure. If you have read any of the cancer diet books, I think just about all of them recommend stevia over sugar and splenda, etc.
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profbee - glad you had fun in NYC, I saw SantaCon on the news, but had never heard of it before this year. Hope you got to see the tree or some of the window displays.
Kiwimum - I don't think I dreamed this when I was at hospital, but didn't you say you were going Costume shopping for a xmas party? And did we ever find out if all NZ xmas parties are costume or just that particular one? And what kind of costume did you end up with? Hope you are getting your strenght back after Rads and that the pool is open? And that dd collerbone is healing?
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Meegan, how are things going after your surgery?? Hope you are feeling well.
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Irr4993-Where is "Piece of Cake" located?
Tori
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Thanks for the info, Lisa. I tried the Crystal Lite Pure stuff--it's good.
I'll have to look for other stuff using Stevia and/or Truvia. Thanks!0 -
Hey ladies,
Been a long time since I rock and rolled myself over here. I've been hiding after all my surgeries. I'm dissappointed about my squishy boobies, but don't want to say anything now, I don't want to scary you guys!
But, Lefty hasn't dropped...will it? Anyone got experieince?
xoxox
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Eema - I had a lumpectomy so I have no advice. Hopefully the problem is something that corrects with time.
Tori - Piece of Cake is located in Atlanta. Their cakes are outstanding. I bought a red velvet one for my failed cake ball project. What a waste of a delicious cake. Should have just eaten it as is.
Prof - the only other thing I have noticed sweetened with stevia is vitamin water zero, which I drink constantly. The go-go flavor is a favorite. You can buy powdered stevia at the grocery store to use in coffee, etc. in place of sugar.
Glad you had fun in NY. The pics you posted on FB looked like you had a great time and you looked gorgeous! If I did not know you had a wig on, I would have never guessed it.0 -
Eema - my right (non-cancer side) did not drop, so I had revision surgery 3 weeks ago where my doctor took out the implant, redid the fold, removed scar tissue (which I had a lot of for being the non-cancer side), then put the implant back in. I am 'balanced' now. Big difference and happy. My PS wanted to wait for 6 months before doing the revision to make sure all swelling was gone.
Edited to add: My PS said it can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months for the implant to drop depending on circumstances. So if it hasn't dropped after 3 months then consideration should be given to whether or not a revision is needed.
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hi girls!
Proudmom, glad you are doing well post revision and are happy. Good things come to those who wait.
Eema--does you PS have you massaging the implant down or wearing a breast band on that side? I did not get the drop that some get, but mine are both the same and look very youthful, to quote my PS. I know you are sick of surgery, but you deserve for everything to be the best it can be. Hang in there (no pun intended). BTW, I have missed you and your humor.
Irr(Lisa), please explain the cake balls again. I love cake, we have a bakery called "Delicious", I will drive 30 min just for a cupcake and diet coke. Better than drugs and will cure any ill.
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Christine and Heather- can't believe you have heard of Sligo, it is a small world. Glad you are happy with your tats Christine!
Eema- good to hear from you! I will stay out of this conversation about squishies. Let's just say I am pretty sure I am going to go the diep route. Though I am not the norm, I don't think. Just a he-woman.
Profbee- Yay! for getting your squishies in a week. That will be a good Christmas present.
Love Crystal lite. Need to try the pure though with the stevia. I have heard good things about stevia.
Trying to get motivated to wrap presents. Want it all done this week so I can focus on packing for our vacation to the north. Have a good evening everyone!
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mamachick, are you going to Sligo? When we first moved to the south, we would drive to PA/Ohio to visit family for the holidays. Although it was fun, we came very close to divorce while driving on these trips (snow, dark, mountains, etc). This year we are taking a vacation to Park City, should be fun, but the stress of getting everything packed and ready is getting to me. If my boys could just stop wearing clothes until I get the laundry done.
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Christine - I am not the best person to explain cake balls as mine were a disaster. But basically, you take cake and icing and blend them together, roll it into little balls, then dip them in chocolate. I tried the chocolate again today and it was worse than the first time. It formed some sort of thick paste. I think I am overcooking it. I did some internet research today and learned that you can buy little machines designed to melt chocolate for fondue - that is the consistency I need. I am going to try to find one and try this again.
Here is the recipe I tried, although I bought the cake premade:
http://gonnawantseconds.blogspot.com/2011/01/red-velvet-cake-balls.html
The chocolate is so sweet that the layer is going to have to be very thin, which is why proper melting and a liquid consistency is important. I worship white chocolate, but they were too sweet even for me because of the thick chocolate. Not to mention that "dipping" is a pain if it is not liquidy.
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No, Christine, I am not going to Sligo. My grandparents are long gone, but we do drive a 11-12 trip to my parents in DE just outside of Philadelphia at least twice a year. We have been going there for Christmas since we got married. Only missed the first one since I was working our first Christmas. Our kids were raised on taking this trip so they actually do very well and even unmedicated. Everyone told me to give them Benadryl, but their daddy goes crazy on it so I chose never to try. Three kids bouncing of the walls for 12 hours? I don't think so!!!!
Sounds like a lot of work, Lisa, though they sound really good if they work.
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Sams Club has absolutely delicious cake balls! I seriously was shocked. took them to a party on my own tray and everyone raved the balls....lol. I did give up the secret though.
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Lisa~my DH family bakes every Christmas this is the 17th year. They made cake pops, and I thought of you when I saw them. they used a special mold to bake the round ball cakes, and adjusted the recipe when baking the cake, milk instead of water....I don't remember the rest. I don't bake, so I got to baggie things up. They made 39 varieties, 12 dozen each - over 5000 cookies and stuff!
Heather~ too cute, if I did that everyone would KNOW right off the bat I bought them somewhere!
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Gina - cake pops are all the rage right now. I have not tried them yet. Christmas is about the only time I ever bake.
I am surprised sam's has cake balls. I have never seen them in any store.0 -
Hi ladies
I've not been here for a few days as it's very busy in the lead up to Christmas. The girls have lots of activities and school things on ... and I've had lots of Christmas lunches and dinners.
Last night DH & I went to a Foo Fighters concert. It was totally great. The weather was awful and it was at an outdoor venue and pretty much rained most of the concert. I wore gumboots and sloshed around in the mud - it added to the whole fun!
Meegan - in answer to your questions. No NZers don't dress up in fancy dress for Christmas BUT my work loves costume parties. Whenever there's a party for any particular reason we usually have a costume theme and everyone goes wild. Great fun.
My daughters collarbone is healing nicely. She went back to the doctor on Monday for an Xray and it's looking good. She can use it normally now.
Our pool is great. I'm still not in as my skin is not ready for chlorine after the rads. I'm planning on jumping in Xmas day. The skin is healing well.
I had my first follow up appointment since finishing treatment yesterday. We discussed quite a few options to be more aggressive in minimising my risk - I need to consider these and follow up with my onc in January. They range from have oophr to taking more/different meds such as metformin and Xometa (spelling ?). My large number of nodes means they are "concerned".
I have also been referred to a plastic surgeon to start reconstruction discussions. I am going to enjoy Christmas and then start exploring Feb/March next year. I will have lots of questions I'm sure.
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Whoa, hate missing all your guy's posts when I'm gone...here's my comments through page 92 Lol
Heather! Welcome! Couple of things-I'm still in chemo fog after being done since 7/15/2010. I hate it. I seriously feel like I lost brain cells-I used to be smart, but a lot of things confound me now--which drives my husband crazy. And my vision got worse through chemo and has stayed that way.
Meegan-glad you're home and recovering :-)
I am also a control freak about the Christmas deco, especially the ornaments on the tree. I only put a pre-lit 4ft tree this year since I had reconstruction surgery and am still not supposed to lift anything heavy.
Lisa! Congrats on the clear mammo! Yay :-)
Kennylynne...I'm going to echo others, WHAT MOJO? My husband has been patient so far, but not the last month. He's pretty frustrated at this point. I feel bad, but since they took my ovaries out in February I've had all the menopause symptoms including (prepare for it), vaginal dryness. Like the Sahara desert. Doesn't make for spontaneous sex, that's for sure.
Prof-after your post on Facebook and my bout with Pancreatitis, I think I'm done with drinking forever. We'll see.
Welcome Druanne! Hope I spelled that right :-)
More to come after more reading...
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Ok, finished reading!
Christine congrats on your tatts! They definitely made me feel better when I looked in the mirror. Did you go with 3D or regular?
Prof-2 adult nights? That sounds awesome! Any mojo during the trip?
Eema-not to scare you, but both of my implants dropped too low in my opinion so I waited 3 months, then asked for a revision. It helped a little, but then one was higher than the other and developed a weird indentation in my cleavage. I just had another revision which was exactly a year since the last one because I was still not happy with how low they were, and how misshapen the left one was. I also went slightly bigger, and she did a lot of "pocket work" to bring them up higher. I'm much happier. I'm still expecting them to drop a little, but hopefully not too much. One is still slightly bigger than the other, but it's not noticeable in a bra.
My daughter's birthday was the 10th, so it's hard to get any Christmas shopping done prior to that. I did a little bit today, and ordered some stuff online last week. Still have clothes to buy for the kids and gift cards. Oh and stocking stuffers. I'm going to do a tiny bit tomorrow, which will use up my Christmas shopping money for this week. I'll have to wait for the hubby to give me some more for next week.
Did I tell everyone about the federal tax lien we had filed against us? $45k against us each individually, so $90k total. Good times. I sent a 4 inch pile of paperwork in today to try and reach a payment agreement. They always threaten to levy accounts, but we don't keep much in them. And of course threaten to take assets, of which we have none. I think the house is worth $50k less than we owe on it...or more. Sigh.
My friend from my mastectomy group got her path report back and she has mets to her chest wall and sternum. Her oncologist couldn't get her in until tomorrow, which is a week and half after he told it was mets-I would have sat in the waiting room until they saw me. Doctors. Ugh
I hope everyone has had a great day, and a terrific day tomorrow!
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burley, we have missed you! Glad you are feeling better. What a busy time crazy time of year. So sorry to hear about the IRS issues, they can not take your happiness or family, I hope you don't stress to much about this. In the big scheme of things it is not that important. So sorry to hear the update about your friend with mets, how heartless for her onc to make her wait so long to be seen. I would be camping in the waiting room too.
So, I am now 4 days out with my tats (not 3D, as I also had nipple reconstruction). I am thrilled with the results, I almost feel normal. I asked my husband if he wanted to see them and he said "no" (wrong answer). I guess he is alittle freaked out by the idea, hope he gets over this. I go back to my BS on friday, at least he and the young residents will want to see.
Ok all you baking girls, I so wish we lived close and I could come to your houses for Christmas treats. Who knew there were cake balls, cake pops, etc. I learn something new everyday.
Kiwimom, so glad you are doing well. So glad you will be jumping in that new pool on Christmas day. You and your husband sound like so much fun. I will go see the others for dessert then come by your house for a swim.
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