Radiation recovery
Comments
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Gigil, Boston does have everything I need, and is in the northeast, where all my kids are, but somehow doesn't feel like a destination (but at this point, nothing does). Also, while I'm still working, it's too far from most of my clients and after breast cancer, I don't see myself with the energy level I'd need to build a new clientele. However, you are reminding me of, a few of years ago, taking a summer course at Boston College. I stayed in a "dorm" that turned out to be the most wonderful two-bedroom condo, designed for four students, and had it all to myself. Boy, have dorms improved since I was a kid! I remember sitting on the couch, in the middle of a real city, imagining where all my furniture could go. That's another question: House? Townhouse? Condo? Series of short term rentals?
Bunkie, what about you? Would you consider a rental? Just to try out a new non-allergenic neighborhood? If it doesn't feel like home, you move. Not easy, of course, but maybe? Also, if (like me) you're really not ready to let go of your home, maybe you could rent that out? I'm thinking of a winter rental, just to stick my toe in the water, so to speak.
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Thinking of you today, Janis. You are an incredibly brave woman. Really, really hoping this time will be much, much easier.
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Thank you Kate, I appreciate the support. I dread these awful injection. They are considered diagnostic and boy are they painful. Valium and your wine might just make me relax!
Of course they would frown on me mixing the two. Spoil sports. I have the cake balls of course. Lemon just for you, and chocolate coconut as well. Sab I love northern California but it is not the same as my childhood days. My brother graduated from basic training at Fort Ord. I could have stayed there forever, but that was many many years ago. The area is breathtaking but far too crowded for me now I am sure. I much prefer the quiet mountains. You would love my son's house. They live at over 9,000 feet elevation and the views are stunning. Plus I am with Kate on the heat, I hate it. Conifer stays at perfect temps all summer, normally in the 70's. My perfect temp!
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Jumping in Janis' pocket! Bringing some cheese and crackers to balance out the wine!
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I'm bringing spinach fritatta, somehow sounds good with wine and cheese and crackers and cake balls....except why is Janis making cake balls for her own party? Thinking of you Janis......fingers crossed that this will be waaaaaay better . Oh, and work too!
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I thought that too SEW, spinach frittata sounds good. One of us should learn to make the cake balls for Janis, but I suspect she is so good at it, she can practically make them in her sleep!
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Sew this test is diagnostic only. Apparently if I get enough pain relief then insurance will pay for the ablation. I dread this today but hopefully I can at least relax a bit. I don't mind making cake balls at all! I am not sure what spinach fritatta is? Obviously I have never had it. I love spinach but if it has eggs no can do. Not a big deal because I am sure the others will enjoy it. Thanks Sew, I feel so good knowing you will be there. Gigil, cheese and crackers sound perfect. I think we have a party!
Brookside, thanks so much! I feel like a big coward today going into this after the first procedure. I'll feel lots better with you tucked in my pocket!
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Of course you're cringing, janis. The courage is in going anyway. It's certainly for the good. Rotten insurance company making you do this again!
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Janis, Brookside is so right. The courage is in the going anyway. You have my admiration! I am sending positive energy your way. What time is your appointment, so I can think of you lots at that time?
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Janis, just today, and then I hope they will be able to relieve your pain and make it all worth it. We are in your pocket, tapping out morse code "hang in there, almost over." Fresh fruit to go with the fritatta. I will have Janis' piece too!!
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(((Janis))) - you are brave...you are going & the courage is in the going ! Pockets full working our no fear no pain cheer dance just for you:)
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Thank you ladies! Gigil I have to be at the surgical center at 1:20 (Mountain Time) and the procedure itself is at 2:20. Sab, I will focus on the Morse code and that should take my mind off the pain.
My son is 2 miles from the evacuation zone for the latest fires in Colorado. He and his wife both work in downtown Denver and usually take the bus to work....they just have to drive to the Park n Ride. He e-mailed me and said they both drove in today and if they have to evacuate they will just drive home and pick up up the dogs and a few things. I hope they stay safe. They have a beautiful home and it would be heartbreaking to lose it.
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Oh my Janis. Praying for you son and daughter in law and that their home stays safe.
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Just stopping by for a quick drive by post to say hello and although I skimmed some back posts, no way to catch up!
Sew, so sorry about your brother. Did read that.
Kate, hope you are doing well.
Janis - hugs and hoping your test today goes well and that there is minimal to NO pain.
Started Aromasin today
Still having exhaustion in the PM from my rads. The short protocol had pros and cons. The con is the complete exhaustion every day by the afternoon. Since I work full time, that is very inconvenient although my boss has been awesome and lets me leave early on the days I look really bad.
Hugs to all and praying that we all have a good year for what is left. This BC stuff is for the birds! The "cures" are worse than the dang disease if you ask me, but then again, mine was DCSI and asymptomatic.
Hang in there ladies. We deserve to have smoother waters ahead.
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April glad to see you check in.
Janis I think it is 5 mountain time, and hoping you are done with your procedure, and it went well. wine is ready. Let the party begin.
xoxo,
Kate
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Janis, hoping by now you are sfe and sound back home, eating cake md recovering from your ordeal. How did it go?
Ssannah0 -
Kate - I have to disagree with you about the cold. It makes people age faster and causes arthritic joints to become very painful in the winter. That is why so many old people go to Florida and AZ for better health. I find that although the winter is clear as far as air quality (no pollen) I have awful joint problems here during that time. In the summer I can not breath because of all the trees and pollen but I can move much better. I do agree that winter is beautiful and peaceful. There is nothing like watching a fresh snow blanket the area. However the next day I want it gone. Now as far as a teaching hospital that is something I have to have. When you have a regular health issue that Dr's have dealt with before then there is no need but when like me you have a mystery disease that no regular Dr's have seen much a teaching hospital is best. The reason is just what you hate. The more interns that come in and poke me the more they run to the regular busy Dr's and ask questions. The more questions they ask the more tests they run and in my case or someone with a mystery illness the better it is to get a diagnosis. I think that a city is what I need. This small town living is for the birds.
Sew - I hope your kids are safe.
Janis - In your pocket. Feel better.
April - I missed it but I think you are doing the rads for 1 week. I almost did that one till they had to do a second lumpectomy. Then I did not qualify.
To all of you I agree this house has to go.
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Hey April - I'm finishing my 3rd week Aromasin and no SEs...thank you! Hope recover from rad fatigue soon and A is good to you too!
Janis - there's a party going on...how's our girl:)0 -
Hi Bunkie,
To each their own, but if I had to move to Florida or Arizona I would need a second home from April to october. Also, being out in the sun so much couldn't be worse for your skin. Sure old people do go to Florida and Arizona, but if they have money they don't spend one day there in the summer. My father died at 90 in Chicago, and was healthy as a horse until 6 months before he died.I can't tolerate anything over 72 degrees. I run air conditioning here in Santa Monica when it is 68.
As for teaching hospitals I understand why you want it. I couldn't tolerate living in a town where there weren't excellent doctors., so that you wouldn't need interns whatsoever. I despise being poked around by interns, and that is why I don't care for UCLA and love St. John's. Again everyone is different, and likes different things. A city is definitely what you need to find a great experienced doctor.
Janis how are you?
xoxo,
Kate
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Janis, hon, you out there? Did the relaxation meds leave you so relaxed, you're still sleeping? I sure hope so. Actually I hope you're getting a peaceful nights sleep with no pain and no bruises.....
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Hi, been reading here each night ...so of course am anxiously waiting for Janis to check in. It's pretty crumb-y in the pocket...
Gigi, it was very touching to read about your dad’s big day of golf...and how sweet to get him new bed linens...so thoughtful.
I’m so glad you feel more comfortable about changing your appointment. It sounds right.Kate, I think the Queen herself is jealous of your Tiara.
I am amazed at how you are adapting to your chemo schedule. I hope you will always have special days to look forward to. It helps!Cindy, it sounds like you are doing OK on Aromasin. Think positively and stay active. SEs can come and go.
Brookside, I love your ideal living environment...spoken like a true New Yorker..when are you coming back to Brooklyn?
I lived in Denver for 2 years...military allowed us to choose 3 places...we chose Denver, Tacoma, and Fort Ord.
I still feel like Denver is home...we knew all the back mountain roads and every time I return I see something new and amazing. The climate has changed, but is still good. You can ski in the mountains and drive down to Denver and play tennis the same day There are good colleges, medical, museums, and history. The one drawback is very little water. I used to gaze out at the plains and imagine the shallow sea that used to be there.
Janis, when we moved there, we cut our Christmas tree in Conifer.
I've always felt that the ideal place would have mountains near the coast. i.e. Pacific NW or Alaska. I've spent some time in Alaska, and to me, it has everything (mountains, volcanoes, ocean, bay, wildlife, skiing, (very little culture) . Drawback? dark winters. And I need open space like Janis...
For now, I like where I live; it is beautiful but far from the mainstream. The climate is temperate, the seasons beautiful and it's fewer than 2 hours from NY.
Least favorite? Ohio?(((Janis))) - thinking of you
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Thank you all so much for all the love and support. It helped me so much during the procedure. I did hear quite a bit of giggling. Must have been the wine. This time my doctor took me seriously and he gave me the good stuff. Both Valium and a little Versed. It was still painful but I tolerated it so much better this time. We got home and I laid down in bed and slept the rest of the afternoon and night. Today my neck feels really good so I think they found the right nerves. Next step will be the ablation where they will burn the nerves that are sending me so much pain. Thanks for all the snacks, the wine, and the girl fun!
The cardiologist's office called while we were out. I did call back before I cratered and I got in next Wednesday at 11:00 AM. Sorry to ask for another PP so soon , but I know I will need a lot of support from you all for that appointment.
Kate I totally agree with you about the heat. We lived in Houston for nearly five years, and those were the longest years of my life. I hated the heat and the humidity and missed having windows open. It was so miserable there. We went to Florida in March to visit my sister who lived there at the time. It was awful in March! I will trade the joint pain any day to not have to deal with heat and humidity. It gets very hot here in the summer, but when we bought this house we had central air installed. It was a foreclosure and needed appliances and lots of things, but I made sure we had enough in the budget for that A/C. It gets very hot here in the summer. Twice last year it reached 108, and several days of 106. I hibernate. Oh, Kate, I hope you saved some wine for me. I would love a glass today!
Joan Adam and Jen are both geologists and they thought they needed a change so they got jobs in Anchorage. Adam worked for BP (hated them) and Jen was with Schlumberger. They stayed almost two years. They are really outdoor people and they loved the lakes and mountains and the long summer days. Adam used to be a fly fishing guide in Alaska on his summer college breaks, he fell in love with it then. I think what got to them was the long dark winters. Plus Adam hated BP and was miserable at work. So they packed it all in and came back to Colorado where they love it. They lived in Evergreen for awhile but bought a home in Conifer. You know how beautiful that area is. If it weren't for the damn fires. I am waiting to hear if they are close to evacuation. I e-mailed him awhile ago but he will be driving today so won't reply until he gets to work.
Oh I forgot, the cardiolost's office called yesterday. I go in this coming Wed. I am really nervous. Lots of wine for this one Kate. I know you will all be with me. I appreciate each and every one of you ladies. You are absolutely the BEST!!
Be well everyone, smile a lot today and find a little joy along the way.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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Janis, so glad to hear that your doctor did more for you this time and it was not as hideous before. And it sounds as though they found the right spots and you can get some lasting relief! Sure hope so! Good luck on the cardiology appointment too. Maybe you'll have a number of things resolved at last. I'm with you and Kate on the heat. I just can't take it. Dry heat is better, but I still have a limit. I don't love the cold either, though. I used to tolerate it better than I do now. I need to get back into cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, when we have enough snow, which often we don't, the last few years. "Make friends with winter," they say. I've lived in New England most of my life, northern New England for the majority of that time, and I love summer and fall, but a little winter is plenty.
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Janis, so glad it was so much better, and thank God you got the meds. And it worked, so on to the ablation. Yay. Not to worry about the cardiologist--it'll just be the usual endless health history/interrogation, maybe an EKG, and certainly a stress test, either that day or, more likely, scheduled in a week or so. I've had a couple of them. A cardiologist is right there and will stop the test immediately if there is the slightest blip in your EKG. Last time, the report said my heart was just fine but I was in lousy shape, but it still took BC for me to start exercising. I'm totally excited that you're going--have been worried about chest pains without ER, and now you and I and the rest of us will know whether there is anything to worry about. We already know that you will go to the ER if it happens again, if only so the rest of us can stop worrying about that.
Hope you are enjoying a wonderful, painless day!
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RunFree I have pretty much always lived in the west and I do wish we had more rain. I love rain and oddly enough, thunderstorms. We had them frequently when I lived in Denver, late afternoon showers and boomers that watered your lawn and cooled the temps down. I have never even been to the NE but would love to go. Bucket list. I have a friend in NH and it would be awesome to see her after so many years. We met in Denver just over 30 years ago. Oh.....thanks so much for all your well wishes. I know you will be there Wednesday. It means so much to me! You are awesome.
Brookside thank you for the sweet post! It is the most wonderful feeling to have such loving and caring friends here. You have my word if the chest pain returns I am going straight to the ER. Promise! I worry a bit about the treadmill test. I know I have the stamina, but I have a bum left knee and right hip! I am going to do my very best. I think I will wear my knee brace to be on the safe side. It is good to know you have done it and know that your heart is good. I am way out of shape too but working on that. My neck feels fantastic today! I do hope they have found the right nerves. If so I will welcome the ablation!
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Janis I am so glad you are ok. I bought a lot of wine so enbjoy some today, and Wednesday for your cardiologist appointment I will buy even more.
Joan than you so much for your support.
Gigil I will wear the tiara you made for me Tuesday on my birthday
Cindy only 1 more day for your birthday YEAH!
xoxo,
Kate
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Janis I was so pleased to read that the procedure was at least tolerable, and that you've gotten some relief from the pain in your neck..I think I will just stay herein your pocket through till next Wednesday 's cardiologist appointment. Keep sending done cake balls.
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Kate - Actually if this house was in better shape that would be the answer to my prayers. 6 mos in Mi and 6 mos in Ca or AZ. They say Florida is pretty in the winter but I am scared of the bugs. I hear there are many. Your birthday is Tuesday right? I am getting ready for my dinner at PF Chang's. I already told a friend I needed to go. I love their Beef and Broccoli and also the lettuce wraps. Then I am going to Dunkin Donuts and make sure I wear my earrings.
Janis - YEAH!!! It worked. So happy for you to get some relief. We will be with you next week for sure.
Well ladies here comes the Midwest heatwave. 85-93 for the next 6 days and humid. My flowers will love it. My lilies are just coming out. My hostas and ferns will not love it. We are supposed to get rain also for the next 5 days. Would have been nice if my parents had enclosed the patio. Mosquitoes are bad this year. Anyone have a garden?
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Janis, what a relief to be one step closer to managing or even eliminating some of your pain. I'm ready for a double celebration after the cardiologist gives you the all clear. I've had that test too and it's ok...nothing nearly as tough as what you've already gone through.
Joan, Alaska seems more a place to visit to me. I have been there (once) and it is magnificent but could never live there...too affected by the dark. BTW, I was raised in Youngstown, Ohio and it was a tough place to be, but the people are the best, hardest working, no nonsense population you could ever wish for.
Kate, Santa Monica is probably a pretty perfect place to live in my book. You have the city, the universities, some cultural events, the beaches and certainly there is wildland near enough to enjoy. Plus the weather is perfect. I'm adding it to my short list...Boulder, Santa Monica, and then maybe somewhere in Northern CA like Saucelito or Tiburon, perhaps SF. But I am not giving up my imaginary condo someplace near the beach or ski trails. Hell, as long as I'm spending imaginary money I think I should have a little rustic stone house in Tuscany as well :-)
I hope everyone has fun plans for the weekend. I have a surprise visit from an old friend, which makes DH grumpy cuz he'll miss his hike. So, a two edged sword if you will. Dd the younger is leaving for a school trip to Costa Rica Saturday, she's the only one in the family to get a vacation this year. Dd the elder tells me she may pop down for a visit. So we're "fluid" here and waiting to see what happens.
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