Any ladies from WISCONSIN??
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thanks bb226 but I can't take the credit... Lisa (bluewillowskys) is the OP - Original Poster :-)
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Hi, Lisa! I've been wondering how the weekend went for you. Not perfect weather, but nice when it was nice. Let us know what the sale nets you overall, will you?
I finally got back in the pool Saturday, first time since rads. Went fine!
Anne
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Looks like tohe total is still 175...i didnt get anyone to buy anything on Sunday
I had thought i would at least make about 500...certainly had enough stuff to make that amount...i think between the rain and heat not many people were out rummaging. Gonna uncover stuff a few days this week and see if i can sell a bit more before making the trip to Goodwill with the leftovers....There are still quite a few items that I will hang onto and try to sell on a local online bulletin board too.0 -
Third time I'm trying to compose this response. Don't know where the other 2 went.
Perceptive of bb226 to notice my RPh (I also play violin). My trips to Froedtert are usually middle of the week but I need to schedule a follow-up with Dr Hijjawi now that chemo is almost done. Last spring, he frequently had office hours on Monday so we'll see when I can get in for an appointment.
Pebee, I have John Charlson for oncology. All the staff has been excellent, which is what I would expect from an academic medical center. It's a little bit of a drive from Kenosha: hopefully not too bad if road construction/weather don't interfere. I grew up in Racine...
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Hi vlnrph,
I worked in Racine many moons ago. Mid 1980s or there about. For a company called Gettys on Green Bay Road.
Yes, Dr. H usually has Mondays for office visits still. Sometimes a Tuesday. I had an appt with him late August and had to change it due to his schedule...I hope he is taking a vacation. He works so many hours. After my stage 2 surgery, I took him some of my mother's cookies that are the best thing in the world, melt in your mouth, baked with love, for his children. He was so sweet and funny about it....said they loved them so much they used them as bribery for getting their daughter to eat vegetables!
Enjoy the cooler weather this evening all
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vlnrph - How do you like Dr. Charlson? I need to see someone after rads. I saw someone else as a second opinion at Froedtert and really did not like him. He completely ignored my husband. Looking for someone else. He is a medical onc right?
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I love to see ladies on these forums compare notes on docs. There's nothing like talking to former or current patients. Sorry, medical establishment, but it's empowering to us!
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Hello again - haven't checked in for several days (will copy a message I sent to some of my regular email folks regarding my lack of activity!)
I think Dr H is on vacation in late August, or at least taking a long weekend because they gave me a Thursday appointment. His daughter did a piano recital last spring: he was also a musician in high school and he told us that his mom had breast cancer. I was especially concerned about whether he and his assistant had lunch when they do those long operations.
Dr C is good and has followed all of my suggestions for port placement, checking vitamin D level...
I looked at the biographies of the other medical oncologists at Froedtert but my surgeon steered us to him which was fine. Keep in mind that you will probably also get to see residents as well as his nurse practitioner who helps with documentation of leave from work, etc.
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Here's the long message I sent to my personal email list. It was titled "Chemo Chronicles"
A bit more detail than in my previous posts: hope you don't mind (it helps me clarify my experiences for when I report to the oncology nurse next month!)
I now understand what the patient education literature implied when it described the side effects of cancer treatment as being cumulative. One would think a little fatigue after the steroid crash for a few days might translate into an extra 24-48 hours of being tired. The feeling is not so much needing to sleep, which can be elusive, but wanting to lie quietly with the HD radio tuned to the classical station. Even reading or attempting a simple project takes too much mental & physical energy. The suggested method to combat this tendency is to exercise. So, whenever the dog goes out, take a walk around the yard.
Instead of a long weekend to recover, the 3rd round put me down for quite a while. Since my hemogloblin/hematocrit numbers had been dropping each cycle, I realized that I was probably anemic. Same condition existed after surgery last spring despite taking ferrous sulfate and ascorbic acid in preparation. Potent supplements are discouraged at this point because the liver already has enough chemicals to process. This meant resuming a regular multivit+mineral tablet along with a renewed focus on iron rich foods and vitamin C sources in order to aid absorption.
Froedtert has a dietitian consult with people during their infusions which is an excellent service to provide. The trouble with meal planning is that, due to medication induced taste alterations, many things are not appealing after only a couple bites. Although weight loss programs are not recommended at this point, I have managed to drop a few pounds. Dry tongue and potential mouth sores are kept at bay by frequent brushing as well as rinsing with a baking soda solution. My usual dental appointment had to be postponed due to undergoing chemotherapy. Looking forward to getting my teeth cleaned by the hygienist when this is over.
During the nadir, when blood cell counts bottom out, precautions to prevent infection are followed. Some people will actually succumb to shingles when their immune system is compromised. I'm happy that my low points are not occurring during the height of the cold and flu season and thankful that there has been no nausea or other more severe complications.
If all continues to go reasonably well, I plan to complete this regimen in August, then move on to the hormonal agent tamoxifen. It has been a summer to remember...
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Wow! I had four pages to read to catch up!
Zogo - I love your quotes on your signature line.
Lisa - The garage sale sure sounded neat. $175 is a lot of money!
Someone asked for suggestions for integrative MD's. I'm sorry, I cannot remember who it was. I've worked with Lucielle Marchand, MD at UW Health and found her to be great.
Have a nice evening everyone. It's good to be back on board.
Barbie
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Looks like the yard sale total is about 245. I still have a few nicer items i am trying to sell via a local online forum. Already took a big load to Goodwill of the leftovers ...still have 4 boxes of my own books that i didnt manage to get out for the sale.
I developed some really bad shoulder/neck/arm nerve pain about 2 months ago...been fighting it with pain relievers and morphine ...but that wasnt working anymore. Doctor started me on Lyrica and told me to stop taking my seizure med (i have been using it for ten yrs) because the Lyrica takes care of seizures AND nerve pain too. I dont know what I thin of his plan. The pain has gotten better but i am NOT going cold turkey off my Neurontin. I guess I will go down by one pill a week ( I take 5) and see how it goes...i know that i used to take 3 of them for my seizures and the other 2 pills were for my back pain. So i should not have any seizures until i try to go down to 2 Neurontin a day....
I also started the Tamoxifen yesterday....UGH ....How long does it take before you start getting the hot flashes ?
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Bluewillowskies - $245 is fantastic! Keep it up! Why don't you bring those books to Madison the next time you are in town and see if you can get $ for them @ Half Price Books. My night sweats started within the first couple of weeks.
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Barbie7, We were just in Madison last week. My son will be a freshman at UW. He moves in at the end of the month....and starts school on his Birthday!
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Lisa I'm sorry you are having this new pain. Any idea what that 2 month interval corresponds to? (Hint - your cancer diagnosis?) I felt badly I couldn't come help you out on sale day, but I suffer from chronic pain/fatigue too. I have benefited from myofascial release therapy, which is typically done by a physical therapist. I'm also thinking of looking into acupuncture for my nerve pain; many insurance companies will cover that for certain diagnoses.
Your plan of tapering off the Neurontin makes sense to me. Are you telling your doctor what you are doing? It's a good idea to keep him/her in the loop.
OMG there is a rosy sunset, I must go out and look. Hope you feel better soon.
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Barbie: thanks for the store suggestion !
Anne...doc wanted me to go cold turkey of neurontin ...i said no way...if i taper down one pill a week..think thats best. if i have any inkling of a seizure coming im not going down any farther...
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Barbie7 - that was me for the intergrative doc - thank you for the referral and I am going to try and get an appointment......
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Good morning ladies, just a quick note to say hi and good job Lisa on the garage sale. I started getting hot flashes during chemo as it knocked my ovaries for a loop so can't comment about the role of the tamox. But I'm also older and was headed into menopause anyway. Been on it a year and so far so good, no bad SE's (knock on wood!). Take care everyone!
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So far so good...no hot flashes yet...Going to the GRACE Captain's meeting tonight. I am turning in $286 from the yard sale. Its not much, but enough for a cancer patient to pay a bill or a few trips of gas to treatment. This weather the past 2 days has been great. Hoping it holds out for the walk on Friday. Last Saturday we went to the state fair...was really hot and so MANY people....way more crowded thatn last year. We saw the racing pigs and some trained bears which were really cute. Not much else going on right now...hope everyone else is doing well ! (((hugs)))
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Hi ladies. I'm feeling a little sorry for myself - went for my follow-up exam after finishing radiation, and I guess it was the clinical breast exam by 2 docs (resident - then RO, who I never met before - she is filling in for my doc who is on maternity leave). Anyway I now have significant pain within the breast, I can only imagine it was the seroma being squished around. Awww!
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Nice job on Lisa's yard sale. Glad she wasn't at State Fair the night of the disturbances. Good idea about the gabapentin taper (from my perspective as a pharmacist...)
Ouch, Anne: was the "real" doc more or less forceful than the resident?
My final chemo was yesterday - went back for Neulasta shot this afte. Starting out anemic this time, not even the dexamethasone is perking me up. Expect to do very little the next couple weeks but planning to go back to work on the west side of Madison in a month!
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I haven't been here in a while. Just stopping by to say hi. The summer is going by so fast. Wish things would slow down. I see there are several people here I haven't met yet. Greetings and hugs all around!!
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Well the GRACE walk had a great turn out. It was very emotional doing the Survivors lap ...i had my stepmom wak with me, didnt think i could do it on my own. Second lap was for all the GRACE walk teams and family of the survivors. Then we all met in the center ,crting and hugging and the survivors each released a balloon...its was very beautiful. I managed to do about 15 laps i think. My kids and family walked additional laps on my behalf. There was about 1500 or so luminaries all uniquely decorated. We walked a couple laps after they were lit. Then the kids were tired and my pain med wore off so we headed out. I dont think I will try to have a team again, its way more work then i thought...and i wasnt able to gather as much $ as I would have hoped.....but i definitely we find another team to be on and will do the survivors lap again next year.
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Blue - 15 laps is fantastic! Congratulations! I've heard great things about GRACE.
vlnrph - you work in my part of Madison although that's one heck of a commute you've got!
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Waiting on my uterine biopsy results. At the earliest I would have them today. I'm not really nervous, probably because I am bone tired!!
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Thanks and congratulations, Bluewillowskys. Your efforts were amazing.
Myself, am trying to get back in the exercise groove after a few months of being "preoccupied with other things." Have seen a lymphedema specialist (O.T.) for swelling in my legs, treatment is making a difference. It feels good to be back at work without running in for medical appointments multiple times a week.
We've been enjoying sweet corn season. About when that winds down, it will be apple season!
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Lisa, congrats on the GRACE walk, you did great! I know how you feel because the survivors lap at Relay for Life was very emotional for me. All those luminarias, just gets to ya.
Mary, congrats on finishing chemo! You're now officially PFC - post-final chemo.
Barbie, fingers crossed for luck and B9 results!
Anne, sorry about the seroma *ouch* and good luck with PT. Enjoy the harvest!
hi to Gina, Dawn, Faith, Kristin, pebee, zogo, anyone I missed or reading along. {{hugs}}
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Hopping on the Wi thread to say HI and thanks for being such great WI girls. I will be having a uni DIEP with Dr. Hijjawi on Tuesday. Looking forward to being a 2 boob gal again. Any good advice for my journey at Froerdert?
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LifeIsGreat, Dr Hijjawi is the best...... I adore that man! I took a bunch of stuff to the hospital and used VERY little of it. It was nice to have some disposable face wipes to freshen up when you are stuck in bed, and chapstick, also a pillow for under the seatbelt on the ride home. You are in very good hands! Best of luck next week.
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Received great news! Uterine biopsy was benign! Still watching the ovarian cyst issue, as well as some other things, but I'll celebrate this one victory! I have my mammogram today.
LifeisGreat, Best wishes for tomorrow's surgery - I do not have advice, other than take the time you need to heal - and let us know how it goes for you. Hugs, prayers and good thoughts coming your way.
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Hi everyone, hope all is well.
LifeisGreat - hope you are recovering well!
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