Starting Chemo June 2014
Comments
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Oh Radical I am SO sorry about your friend and I can imagine how you feel. I, too, am going through much the same with my closest friend of 30 years, who has been battling pancreatic cancer for 8 years, and just received more bad news yesterday.
First think of how fortunate we all are for having such very special friends in our lives for all these years. Your students, too, have benefitted from 2 unique and dedicated teachers.!
Enjoy today, - the beautiful weather and special bond between you and your friend, - and dont assume this will be your last get together. Even though you are miles apart, the weather is still good to drive for a while, and science and medicine can come up with surprises at any time!
Sending hugs to you and your friends, and wishes for peace and calm. Enjoy each others company, and share happy memories and laughs with each other!
Every day that we have with the people we love is a treasure. May sunshine fill your visit!
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Thank you NYCgirl. I resolve to completely enjoy today! No promises after that...but I'll get there!
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Enjoy today! Just listen to her and be the friend you need to be. It is hard when we face our or our friends mortality. Life is full of trials and sadness but also joy! So bring her joy! Praying for you both!
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Radical, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Ditto what everyone else said. Just enjoy the day!
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Radical,
My heart goes out to you and your friend. I hope she proves her doctors wrong and lives a lot longer, they are often wrong about that sort of thing. I have a friend who is battling stage 4 bc and she never asks how long she has left. I think that is the way to do it, because nobody really knows. I am sorry though, your friend sounds like an amazing person.
Love and hugs.
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Radical I'm so sorry about your friend. I hope you have had a wonderful day.
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well, you all deserve an update...Of course I'm a little down now, but I did have a great day!
A bit by chance (a lot of people have been popping by to see her) we ended up with 5 ladies at the apartment...ALL BREAST CANCER WARRIORS! Scary that we all had that in common....but it turned out to be fun.
A woman in her 60's an I were the only two who had complete mastectomies. At one point we were discussing pain and the other lady said, "I'd love to feel a little pain in my breast....I'd love to feel anything!"
The other 3 ladies including my friend had only had lumpectomies and didn't believe we had lost so much sensation. One thing led to another and the first lady and myself had our shirts pulled up and eyes closed while the other three ladies poked lightly at us trying to see if we could guess what breast they were touching.
The entire visit wasn't that crazy, but I wanted to share a little about us 5 mature women acting like a bunch of 13 year olds at a slumber party. My friend is on A LOT of pain meds and I think it made us all just a little silly...but you guys were all right. It was wonderful to enjoy my day! I'll have plenty of time to miss her at some point, but I think we all needed silliness today and it was wonderful!
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I got to ring the bell today. I have an appointment with the RO on Oct 14. So it will be on to rad. Having almost 3 weeks to recover will be wonderful.
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woohoo Dixie!
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Hello Fellow June Chemo Pals,
I've not checked in much because I've found out it takes a lot of ones time to manage breast cancer, be a mom, and teach all at the same time! Good news for me that will hopefully put a bright spot in your day. I had my lumpectomy and axillary dissection last week after having completed 12 weeks of Taxol/herceptin/perjeta. Guess who's cancer free??? Yay, me!! I am beyond thrilled! 9 nodes were removed and all were negative. Also, the only thing the surgeon need to remove was my tumor marker and a bit of tissue around for a margin. I meet with MO next week. I assume I still have to do AC and radiation, but I finally feel a bit of relief for the first time since May. Hang in there, your good news is coming too!! Linda
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Radical, so sorry to hear about your friend. I hope that you are able to spend lots of time with her and that she is comfortable and surrounded by love. Linda
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Did I ever tell you girls that I have the BEST kids EVER???? This is what I came home to today and I am still crying tears of pure JOY! They took a cartoon I drew a few weeks ago and made a welcome home I never expected after my final treatment today! ....excuse me I have to blow my nose!
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awesome agent99
I love it!!! Woohoo!!!
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Radical -I am so sad about your friend BUT she has amazing friends like you who are giving QUALITY of life which is the most important thing I have learned from all of this!
Dixie-yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! And you look amazing!
Linzer-You Rock!
Island-thanks I love you!
AnotherNYC-I'm thinking about your friend and sending love, I'm so sorry.
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Lots of good news since I checked in last! Congrats to all who "did it!"
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Yay Agent99! Awesome kids - too bad our hair isn't immediately back like your cartoon (birds and all!) - you are very talented.
Radical, you have one lucky friend to have a day surrounded with silliness and love and good people. I am so sorry.
3 more done! Congrats Agent, Dixie and Linzer!
BTW - rads so far is fine, going on two weeks. Will need to get a cotton bra this weekend I suppose as they expect skin sensitivity to hit around week three. Hair is getting dark (my natural color is dark brown) and growing, so that's good!
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Great photos Agent and Dixie!
Radical, I'm glad that the day was as good as could be with your friends!
Good to read the updates from everyone!
Hugs to all here!
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congrats to Dixie, Agent 99 and all the ladies finishing chemo. I'm super jealous! I just had tx 3 of 12 weekly Taxol. I think there is some hair growing on my head...trying to decide if it's just peach fuzz... I'll see what it looks like next week. I just ordered some new fall Hats.
It's becoming a real struggle with energy and the body aches, stomachs issues etc. it would be fine but I have 3 young kids to care for. My 2 boys are playing hockey now so my job is taking them to the rink 6 x a week (some 7am games) plus my daughters preschool, school PAC meetings, etc. looking after them is challenging when I'm well! The exhaustion is kicking in too...it's bad & thanks to dex, no sleep for me!
The kids did the Terry Fox run at school this week. I think it was somewhat upsetting to them talking about someone who died of cancer and knowing I have cancer. The teacher was telling me that all the kids in my son, Aaron's class were talking about Terry Fox and that he died of cancer and Aaron said "My mom has cancer." The teacher said, " Yes but she is doing really well,isn't she?" Aaron said "Yes my mom is very brave." My son just turned 6! This made me cry all morning how sweet my kids are and how much I love them. I just want them to have a happy childhood and not be forced to grow up too fast, if you know what I mean. As much as I don't want this to effect them I'm sure it does.
Anyways those are my thoughts today. Love to all my ladies. Goodnight.
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Canuck,
I'm so proud of your son and I don't even know him! My kids (I have none of my own, I'm a teacher and claim them all as mine) are older...12 and 13. I was so scared to tell them I was taking a leave from school because of cancer. They opened my eyes to how much they really do understand and how many of them experience cancer in their lives.
Some of the kids had lost moms to bc and I was very worried about them hearing the news. They were amazing those darlings.... one girl told me I was the luckiest woman because I found out younger than her mom did so I was sure to fight through and be fine. I know age isn't the determining factor, but I got the gist of what she meant....The other kids in the class hoped on board saying things like, "If you need help, call my mom! She had bc and loves to help others" At the scariest time in all of this those kids gave me more hope than any of my family or friends who were worried...
Bottom line? We shelter our kids because we don't want them to ever think about bad things, but they actually have a much better ability to deal with bad things than we do!
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CanuckMom, sounds like you are crazy busy. Looking back in the last couple of weeks as I get my bearings back at the office, I am bewildered that I got stuff done in the last 4 months. I felt like a robot at the time, going through the motions without much passion or energy. Now it's a bit of amazement - I did that? How did I pull that project off? In retrospect, life through treatment with a ton of things that had to get accomplished might have been the best thing for me. I can't tell you what it feels like to live life now, 5 weeks out, and really feel present. Guess I never appreciated how good it felt.
Radical, so many with cancer/bc, it's scary. I secretly know that my sixteen year old thinks I'm a "badass", the teenager version of brave! It makes me feel proud of me, demonstrating to her that being strong through adversity is essential in life. I didn't know I was doing that for her, she's seen my vulnerabilities in the recent past, but I guess that's a good thing too. We aren't perfect for sure, but remaining calm, doing what we have to do to survive - it's a beautiful process, a renewing of sorts.
I must be getting back to me, "that guy" at work is starting to get back on my last nerve
Homecoming tonight and all the teens are coming here for pictures, I can hardly wait. Too bad it's raining here in the northwest, but we do need the moisture. Have a great day all!0 -
Canuck you have raised a great kid! And that is a blessing! When your treatments are over he will have been a witness to your strength and love for your family. I can't imagine trying to do this with my children still at home! The way this will affect your kids just might give them lessons that they wouldn't otherwise have learned. Things like empathy, compassion, sharing and doing for others are things that many kids miss learning these days. Too much time is being spent on iPhones and facebook without looking up and seeing what really matters in life and your children are very fortunate to have a loving, attentive mom and they will be better adults for it!
And I admire your courage! You hang in there you will be dancing rings around those kids shortly!
Love,
Jeannine
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CanuckMom, I dont know how you are doing all that you do with such young children. I hope that you are able to get some help with carpooling at least! Radical is right in saying that children are very resilient. I am a retired early childhood teacher, and I did see that my students often handled things better than I may have expected. Several of my students faced difficult situations at home and did it with grace and compassion. I believe that it made them stronger and kinder. You are doing an amazing job, - but please accept offers of help from friends and family!
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Canuck
Your little guy is so sweet!
Cheers to round 3 down! Woowoot!
We are in single digits now!
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Islandmama - 1/4 thru it! Yay! Thanks!
Radical - you must be such an amazing teacher, I can tell you truly love your students and the feeling is mutual!
Thanks for everyone's comments, you all cheered me up today! I think these steroids are messing with my emotions because I was tearing up reading them, lol!
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TOMORROW IS MY LAST CHEMO SESSION!
I'm so excited (yet dreading the weekend where I'll feel like carp). Total mixed emotions right now...My mom is throwing me an Oktoberfest/pig roast/end of chemo party on October 11...dj and all! Lol
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so happy for those done chemo! Way to go!
I won't be done until the end of November! Still seems like forever...
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Yay Radical! Hope it all goes well!
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Great to be done Radical! (a NY Luau?
ENJOY!!) I am just now feeling better from last weeks last treatment. Next onc visit is Oct 20!
FEEL GOOD Everyone!!
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Yaaaaahhhhhhhoooooo! so happy for you radical! Even though you will still feel crummy you also know in the back of your mind it's the last one!
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All went well today! My NY luau is more of an upstate shindig NYC girl...we like to kick it in the sticks! Lol
My onc, nurse practitioner and I took pics together etc. The nurse practitioner advised me that I may have an emotional time coming up. Masterminded me that transitioning into the world of bc was not a choice and I had to go with the flow. It was hard. She advised that some patients find it even harder to transition back out of the bc world and into "the real world." From being on these discussion boards, I know that's true. I still have recommended to go, but I'm trying to focus on the real world and my new outlook on it a little more each day.
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