CRAZY TOWN WAITING ROOM - TESTS coming up? All Stages Welcome.
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It helps me Jackbirdie. I've been drinking lemon water every morning for a few months and labs are looking great.
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Well looks like the house is sold....................Please don't say "good".....I am not ready for "good" yet...........I feel like I gave it away, but got tired of the bullshit, and thought "Let it Go"..........
Thanks for thinking about me........right now I hate everything.....just tired of everyone giving me adivce when its not them having to Let Go...........
Is it the best thing......maybe.......will I get over it......of course I will.......when I don't have to pay the 2nd home bills all summer..........sure.........but it hurts a lot, and I'm tired of advice.......actually I don't get advice......I get "do whatever you want"..........then its......."well don't take this deal and you will be paying for it again next summer and no one will be there and the maintenance will be up to you"
Did you ever feel like saing "fuck you and the horse that you came in on"......even to your kids.........that is where I am at right now..........its getting rid of all the shit in the house ..problem is its all "good shit".........30 yeers of shit, and will be trying to do it in January and February.........really lousy timing................oh well shit happens
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AREN'T YOU GLAD I'M BACK...........................NOT
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Ducky, when I bought my house, I was surprised when the lady didn't even counter my offer, but accepted it right off. She said she had nine people look at the place before me and she just wanted it sold. She (and her husband and kids when she was younger) lived in the house for 50+ years, so you can imagine how much stuff they had to sort though, and decide who wanted what. It does suck.
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Yea, and when someone says call 1-800-Junk, and I pay them to take the stuff away......that went up my ass sidewards...........
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Welcome back, ducky, if only on a milk carton! (Two shoppers stopped in their tracks in the dairy section. "Look!" said one, "there's Paul Newman's face on a carton of lemonade." The other replied, "Well, live & learn--I didn't even know he was missing!")
Decision, have you looked into Creative Commons licensing? It's a way to disseminate your work far & wide free of charge, as long as you are credited. As for the singer-songwriter who wanted to alter your material, whenever my singing partner & I want to record a parody of something not yet in the public domain, we always get permission from the writer of the original song and then buy the mechanical license so that the melody gets credited to them and they get paid. There' a legal doctrine that claims parody is "fair use" and doesn't require permission or licensing, but it's cheaper to bite the bullet than defend a suit or defy a temporary injunction, even successfully.
Taking advantage of free time (and free hotel internet) before turing in for the night. Waiting for our flight at O'Hare, we got into the Air France lounge: free Mumm's Cordon Rouge champagne. Changing planes in Amsterdam, we had oysters, gravlax, baby shrimp and smoked trout at Bubbles in Schipol Airport. DH had Sancerre; I had Taittinger Brut. Staying at Rome Airport Hilton (no taxi necessary!) and they put us in the Exec. Lounge--shrimp & baby greens salad, espresso, and Pinot Grigio. Free shuttle to downtown Rome--dropped us off at the edge of Campo Dei Fiore (old Jewish quarter). Went out to La Taverna del Ghetto for famous "Carciofi alla Giudica" (whole, deep-fried but not battered or breaded artichokes). They even threw in a free glass of kosher Valpolicella!
And it was the last night of Hanukkah (hence the deep-fried stuff), but all the oil lamps (not candles) had burnt out. Took the following pic from our table looking out across the street. If this doesn't say "Coexist," nothing does!
Then today we went downtown and took the hop-on/off bus tour, detouring for lunch, shopping, Trevi Fountain & Spanish Steps (only looked at the latter). Vatican/Sistine Chapel out of the question--lines to long to even enter before closing. (If all goes well, we're heading back this way in July: 3 days in Rome, fly to Pisa and drive to a little Tuscan villa for which we're using timeshare points for 3 days, drop off the car in Pisa and take the train to Florence, 3 days there and fly home. So we'll buy our Vatican tix online way in advance). Going through and editing more pix.
We had reservations at Agata e Romeo (one Michelin star, modern twists on Roman classics). Got off our bus tour and mapped out where it was, and discovered we had 2.5 hrs. to kill with nothing to do but shop (still kinda full from a pizza/salad/gelato lunch). Silly to take a taxi, insane to grab the shuttle back to the hotel and then turn right back around and re-board. So we figured 2.3 mi--Siri said 45 min. We took 2 hrs, both for some necessary shopping (pharmacy, eyeglass case, non-tacky gifts for friends) and Siri's charming little idiosyncrasies--such as directing us one way and after a block, recalculating as if to say "Ooops--I told you to do WHAT? My bad." It was almost all resolutely uphill--the longest distance I've walked in over 15 years--over uneven terrain (undulating sidewalks), weird cobblestones. unexpected potholes, weaving across streets because of blocked sidewalks, dodging Vespas (cars & buses stop for pedestrians); at one point, instead of having us walk up a gentle slope along a blvd., Siri (in her delightful way) directed us to take a one-block (HA!) shortcut---up a hill--which consisted of three flights of stairs w/o guardrails! Got to the next-to-the-last intersection and ducked into a pharmacy for a cane (left my trusty Leki hiking staff bought 1994 in Boston, home because I'm now supposedly strong & otherwise healthy). This new one--Italian rather than Austrian--has not only an ice-axe-belay handle and a hidden tungsten tip for ice, but a basket for snow and a built-in compass and flashlight on the handle! Too long, even fully telescoped short, to fit in my baggage, so I will gladly display it at airports to get perhaps a "writ of rachmoness" (as my former boss used to call it whenever I'd return from court after a judge followed his heart & conscience instead of the letter of the law) from TSA screeners so I can at least keep my shoes on.
Restaurant took us early--and it was wonderful. Had the tasting menu (the cacio e pepe spaghetti--with Sicilian pecorino and a dash of saffron--was wonderful; the lamb-two-ways with potato souffle-was amazing; and the dessert was "Exploded Zuppa Inglese" (shards of puff pastry guarding a mound of baba-au-rhum pastry cream, the whole thing dusted with powdered sugar instead of creme Anglaise, and garnished with chocolate "skeletons" of elm leaves). Had wine pairings. Including a lovely brut from the Marchese region) but didn't finish them (well, ok, I finished the brut).
Speaking of pharmacies, hit pay dirt on dirt cheap Ventolin inhalers (for DS so he can stop swiping mine for awhile) and Voltaren gel, but struck out on Femara (or generic letrozole)--AIs require a prescription. ButI just got a message from my MO's nurse that in my MO's absence (she was in San Antonio for the BC conference), she faxed a scrip for 90 brand-name Femara to OptumRx. (Hope they haven't caught on that I'm quitting United PPO Jan. 1 for Medicare, otherwise they might write me only 3 wks. worth). Optum will cover the 90 Femara with no co-pay. Humana Enhanced (my Part D carrier) will cover only generic Letrozole (DH says he trusts Teva's generics in general). Even Costco wants $24 for 90 letrozole and--this is not a typo--$2100 for 90 Femara. Oy. DH says if I can tolerate Femara, he's considering contacting one of his fellow docs on staff at Holy Cross whose brother practices in Florence and seeing if he can write a scrip for me and have his colleague's bro reissue one that's legal here.
Sorry about not cross-posting to the Drinking or Dinner threads tonight, but it's 2 am here, I'm too bleary-eyed to do the editing, and we have to roll out of here by noon tomorrow. We board our ship in Civitavecchia any time after 2pm, our dinner res. at Manfredi's onboard (my likely arrivederci a pasta) is at nine and we sail at 11. Ciao for nao.
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Ducky, pouring through all those memories and having to get rid of stuff: of course it will suck. It will probably feel good at some point, when you are through it, but I know it must feel sucky right now. (edited to add: Or maybe I should say it will probably feel better at some point...whatever you feel about it is what you feel....)
I for one am very glad you are back, you know what they say about misery loving company.....
Hugs to you!
Octogirl
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ChiSandy...your walk and your dinner sound wonderful!!! I have never been to Italy. Clearly I need to rectify that situation some day before too long.
Eat lots of good stuff for me!
Octogirl
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Chi.......my grandaughter went to Italy last year.....loved it.....was there for 2 weeks..............enjoy....her and her husband.............Bobby's Mom.............before she had him.................
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Jackbirdie, thanks so, so much for the reference. A great place to start! My meds are minimal, life saving really; high blood pressure (well controlled), low thyroid, and the AI. The only supplement I take is Vit D or as I call it vitamin sunshine. Will definitely give this information a review. Luv to you all!!
ChiSandy ~ love the photo, I think BCO needs a like button
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ChiSandy,
Check out GoodRX for prescription drugs. They have contractual arrangements with hundreds of pharmacies and even Sam's club. If you find what you want and the price is good, there is frequently a coupon. You can show the pharmacist your cell phone with the coupon. I cannot believe the variation in prescription drug prices. Sometimes it might be cheaper to pay cash or use the coupon than to use your Part D benefits. I noticed that Sam's club members with the $100 a year membership can some times get better prices than I get with my Medicare Part D. I entered the senior ranks with Medicare early due to disability. Welcome to Medicare! Due to my cancer diagnosis, I have applied for a very expensive Medigap Part C policy because the co-pays and co insurance are eating me alive. Insurance companies charge disabled people under 65 twice what they charge seniors. I have not heard yet if I have been approved for the policy. If I don't get it, I will be paying for the rads till I am 100 years old. So, it sounds like I may get fleeced on the AIs since I could not take the Tamoxifen. Time to start checking out GoodRX. My mom's family doctor told me about this site, sweet man that he is. Having a hot flash. I stopped taking the T five or six days ago. When is it going to get out of my system. Do I need fresh lemons?
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P.S. ChiSandy, I am enjoying your gastronomic adventures. Your descriptions make me wish I didn't have problems cooking. I have too much pain most of the time to cook great meals. I eat simple foods. Oatmeal, peanuts, yogurt, almonds, small portions of gluten free pasta, broccoli, beans, blueberries, Granny Smith apples, small portions of chicken. I have mostly weaned myself from junk food. I have to lose 42 pounds in addition to the 35 pounds I have already lost. What you are eating sounds amazing. The last time I ate that way was when I worked in Washington, D.C., and I had a boss who took the staff out to the best restaurants in the city. There were some great ones, but they didn't rival the delights you describe. The most memorable food I ever ate was actually a chocolate souffle at a famous restaurant in Los Angeles. Not sure why I still think about it, but it was amazing.
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Ducky, yeah, 1-800 JUNK can be a ripoff. I've heard to never take their first offer, but tell them you won't do it for their price and they'll call their manager and suddenly they're making you a better offer. The lady I bought the house from got some local people, friends of friends types, to haul off the stuff nobody wanted.
Sandy, dining your way through Italy sounds like a good time. What a wonderful time of the year to be there, too.
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I've been eating plain food too, I'm afraid all that great food would be too hard on me. But it sounds so good
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The link is working now.
http://foodforbreastcancer.com
Whoa, girls, check out this link. The recommendations are based on a long list of academic studies though I don't have time to evaluate the science. Some of what the site says makes sense but my motto is trust but verify. Chocolate appears to be a no-no if you are taking aromatase inhibitors because it promotes bone loss. I am going to eat fudge and jump on the elliptical bike as much as possible during the holidays since the docs are talking about my going on aromatase inhibitors after surgery in late January. I don't know how I will cope without any chocolate. Letrazole apparently works better for thin women than overweight or obese ones. I am not supposed to lose weight too fast, no more than 2 pounds per week. I am researching interval training on the elliptical bike. It is possible to burn big calories and body fat with very vigorous spurts followed by rest breaks.
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http://foodsforbreastcancer.com/article Whoa, girls, check out this link. The recommendations are based on a long list of academic studies though I don't have time to evaluate the science. Some of what the site says makes sense but my motto is trust but verify. Chocolate appears to be a no-no if you are taking aromatase inhibitors because it promotes bone loss. I am going to eat fudge and jump on the elliptical bike as much as possible during the holidays since the docs are talking about my going on aromatase inhibitors after surgery in late January. I don't know how I will cope without any chocolate. Letrazole apparently works better for thin women than overweight or obese ones. I am not supposed to lose weight too fast, no more than 2 pounds per week. I am researching interval training on the elliptical bike. It is possible to burn big calories and body fat with very vigorous spurts followed by rest breaks.
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Thin women probably have less estrogen to begin with because fat increase estrogen
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Shorfi,
Doing a happy dance! Yay for arthritis!!!
Ducky,
Love the milk carton!!! Glad the house is off your back soon. Hope everything closes smoothly.
Meg,
Glad you're dealing with something fixable!
Octo,
Good luck with the Rads tomorrow.
Slow,
Hope you're feeling better soon. How have you been???
Jack,
Thanks for posting that!!! How are all the little furries doing? Have you had a bunch of rain and snow up there? Hope you're keeping warm and dry.
Cubbie, Poppy,
I am taking the final herceptin Jan. 5th....no question. He just offered to skip the last one if I wanted but I am definitely in.
Poppy,
So glad things are stable with your son. So happy for you.
Decision,
Didn't get to greet you yet, welcome to CT. Use your coconut oil wisely!
Tomboy,
Woohoo!!! Hey there girl!
Well over here, in CT north, things have been nutty as usual. We had our anniversary dinner last week, which was wonderful. Great to be able to taste food again after all the taxol. Last time we ate at that place for my birthday in March it felt like I was chewing cardboard.
We are setting up the Shopify site for the Spice kits as we sold out the first round so besides the stores we'll be selling online.
Recipe testing is going on every Sat for the restaurant. It's totally gluten free, and will also be heavily vegetarian. So that's been my Saturdays.
We'll be having house guests for Christmas, our honorary "son" . I'll be cooking for about 10, my husbands birthday is the 29th so thinking of doing a dinner/ birthday party on New Years Eve. We shall see. We have been watching the Academy screeners every night as they have been arriving daily. We have to get our nominations in sometime in January so we're watching everything. The Big Short is amazing. So far it's the best thing we've seen. We watched Spotlight tonight, also excellent. Really hope they send Joy and The Revenant this week.
We'll be back to our regular work once this is done, we got half way through the script we're supposed to be doing when we got waylaid with the spice boxes. At least our agent has not started yelling at us yet. The key is to avoid that.
Final H is Jan 5th, then port removal, and after a convo with the female oncologist on my team I am getting rid of the ovaries soon as the port is out and I have a colonoscopy as part of a regular physical. Since my ovaries have been non functional since my first time with chemo back in my 30's 25 years ago it's not like I'm going to notice any changes. None of that stuff has worked since the first Gulf War. I have always been worried about ovarian cancer and my doc agrees. So that'll get done and it will be a big relief since my mom died of ovarian cancer. Looking forward to everything except the colonoscopy.
Anyway, it's getting late here... I will go back and diligently read tomorrow take care everyone, stay safe
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Sula...thanks so much. I'm still dancing and smiling...in pain...but I can take it.
Ducky...so good to see you again.
Katy...thinking about you my dear.
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Hi Shorfi........thinking about you too, knowing we are just a few miles apart.........wish we could keep the warmer weather here in our part of the country, but the cold is coming......................and I have to concentrate on emptying the house down the shore........so much packing up of what needs to be kept, but so much stuff that is good,but no one wants.......and I am being pressured to "start to decide what stays and what goes"........
This entire undertaking has been pure hell.......I knew I had to sell eventually because no one was really going down anymore........but I can't get my head around my daughter that did go bought her own place,and did not tell me while the weather was still gorgeous, and people were down the shore looking for places......I would have gotten a better price, house would have been open, pool would have been open, and we would have been vacating in "nice weather", .....yard sale, selling things while people were still going to yard sales.........would have made all the difference inthe world.............
Instead I settled for what I could get, rather then keep it going through another winter and putting it on the market in the Spring.........or hoping it would sell in March,and be out by June......but it is what it is.........how do you empty, and move a house in freezing weather.........especially when the house is winterized, and there is no heat on......and trust me that house gets cold........well I take that back......it is electric heat so I can put the heat on, but no water to go to the bathroom..........not a drop............It just one big mess........oh well bitching isn't going to change a damn thing, right..........0 -
Good Morning crazies: Ha about the cold ducky: I was chatting on the internets with my son in Providence: it is warmer there than it is either here in the Great Central Valley or in Los Angeles! I warned DS to bring his coat when we comes west next week!
I know it is hard, ducky, and it sounds like your kids and family aren't making it any easier. Sending hugs!
Sula, let me know when that restaurant opens. Hubby is gravitating towards a mostly vegetarian diet and we'd love to check it out next time we are up in your neck of the woods. And good luck on getting the script done before the agent yells!
Gaia and Rain: glad you two were able to meet in person. I am definitely coming east before June, but still trying to figure out which work trip to coordinate NYC with: latest might be that there is a meeting in mid-April in Philly that I may go to, in which case that would be the easiest, easier than coordinating with my regular travel to DC (even with the bc, I was in DC three times this last year. Too much!) , but I will let you know. Honestly, I used to enjoy the travel that my work entails. These days, it just seems like a lot of time on airplanes (and I've told you how much I love airplanes. Not. ) ....
I feel that I am behind and much to catch up on...so waving at all of you to say I think of all of you as I go about each day!
Heading off to rads today, for what is supposedly going to be finally be my first treatment, and to hear the final verdict on whether it will be three or six weeks. Will report back...
Hugs and xoxo to all the crazies..
Octogirl
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Had a big cry fest this a.m.
Medicare has hired auditors who get money to turn down doctors orders for medical equipment. Auditor found fault with two words in the doctor's orders for Anne's medical bed. The equipment supply company is coming on Friday to take her medical bed away. She won't have her own bed.
Oncologist was sleeping at the wheel and let Anne take Paxil with Tamoxifen and Herceptin. Paxil blocks Tamoxifen from working. Death rates are far higher for bc patients that take Paxil with Tamoxifen. A few months ago, the oncologist nurse called to say Mom was getting sicker. No wonder. I am glad we sent Anne to rehab after oncologist wrote in a report that he could not give her strong drugs because she was too weak.
Brother worried about his other foot.
I have to solve everybody's problems. I can't let things go. Consequences are dire such as bedsores after chemo.
At least there are people here that I love.
This world seems hateful and cold. There are some exceptions. Crazies, for example.
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Onco............good luck today.........its not really bad......at least it wasn't for me, and I had 38 treatments.....I hope you do well, no matter how many they schedule you for...........
a
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DF, sounds like it might be time to fire that MO? Still I am sorry that you have to deal with so much...sending hugs!
Octogirl
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Meanwhile, back in the real world, which sometimes seems even crazier than our CT world....just heard from DD that the LA Unified School District has closed all of its schools for an unspecified time due to a 'credible' terror threat.... over 600,000 students or something like that. My beloved GD is in the LAUSD (Grandson is too young yet), and she loves her school. Sigh. I hope they figure this out soon. If they don't, I am going to suggest that DD start her holiday break early and come here for a visit....If it wasn't for the damned rads, I could get in the car and head down there to 'babysit' so Mom and Dad could both head to work.....I have the feeling GD may be accompanying her Mom to the 'office' (DD teaches at the college level, and this is finals week...)
Octogirl
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octo, MO was asleep at the wheel. Young man, collapsed from a heart attack, now in long term rehab. I think he was burning the candle at both ends and probably sick and didn't know it. There is only one oncology group in this town. MO who took over seems hands off. I don't know what to think.
octo, I think we are at war in the homeland.
I have heard some suggest the President will declare Marshall law and stay in office another four years. I like to see a new face in the Oval office now and then. A local sheriff in a nearby county told his citizens to arm themselves. I should buy a gun and learn to shoot. My father wanted me to learn how to use a gun. If everyone who can takes up arms, I am afraid we will destabilize America. We may have militias on our own soil or it may be that every able bodied man and woman will be drafted to protect our communities. We need to do a far better job at keeping radicals from entering the country.
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hi all, well got my dates mixed up, was supposed to do lunch with a gym pal but we got confused so home for lunch
was looking forward to it as feeling blue, not sure why but just am so was thinking this would be a good upper
thinking this back shit is getting me down as when back is shitting it is hard to go places. Couple of my pals are getting ready for spring cruises and I am hesitant as sleeping on less than good beds would be a disaster for me
Sandy, your trip and food sound amazing, sure looking forward to having one of your kits when you get them on sale again
Ducky, I am sure cleaning out is upsetting but maybe it will be a fresh start on parts of your life. I keep cleaning out closets and giving stuff away. Not sure if you want that option but folks like Lupus will pick up almost anything and leave a tax receipt for you
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Tomboy invited me to come join your crazy town waiting room. Just finished chemo and still have 1 cm lesion on my liver so now I'm just waiting. I think I may have an MRI next month...not sure. I'm just glad to feel semi normal -- my new normal. My hair is growing back thick (never did lose it but it thinned quite a bit. I have way too much of it....wouldn't mind if it permanently thinned out but not all in once place like it did this time around...lol. Hope everyone is having as good as a day as it gets.
Hugs, Bonski
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Bonski68, welcome to Crazy Town.
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Bonski...........anyone who knows Tomboy is super in my book.....she is a swetheart.......so just a few understandings here.
As Tomboy will tell you......I am the oldest, smartes, sexiest, prettiest, funniest and a member of the Mile High Club on this site............do you come on in and sit a spell............Ya'll come back now, ya hear...........LOL
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