CRAZY TOWN WAITING ROOM - TESTS coming up? All Stages Welcome.
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Lisa, we will be in your pocket for your US. Thinking of our quiet crazies. Hugs everyone.
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IcM...thanks.....
Spring in Philly suburbs.............here's to our Pa. Ladies, and our Philly gals too.
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Trust me that is not pixie dust.....its friggin snow......0 -
Morning Crazies,
Ducky, You really do tell the best stories. I also like the one about your daughter pushing you in the car. Your children are so fortunate to have such a fun mom. I'm wondering what ever happened to April showers bring May flowers?? Seems so late in the season to be getting snow.
Molly, I hope you're able to get some rest. I'm sending you some homemade chicken soup through the tube. I wish I wasn't having surgery this week or I'd make you the real thing. Homemade soup has healing powers!
Iris, You're showing excellent restraint - slow and steady!!
Lisa, Waiting really is awful, especially for someone that is impatient -------> ME. Staying distracted really does help. Maybe a good book or you can binge watch a show on Netflix? Anything to occupy your mind. Hugs to you!
I hope you all have a good weekend. Waving in the direction of the tree house.
Love to all...quiet crazies too.
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well jersey is cold and wet
Went out for a bottle of wine but nothing more, have to say back is sore today and hoping it is weather, sure do hope I did not overdoing yesterday, took a pill
Made some veggie soup
Parked on sofa, may do some online shopping
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Hello Fellow Crazies!!!!
Long time no post. I've spent the last hour or so dropping back and reading the latest from everyone! Ducky, SNOW???? in April??? wow. It's cold and raining here in Sonoma but we need that..too bad you can't shove some of that moisture westward.
I enjoyed all the So Cal; reunion news, and seeing all you guys in your emoji masks. So sorry I still don't live in LA, I would have loved to have joined you.
I'm glad to see everyone's still hanging out here for better or worse...ain't no place like CT in a pinch!
I am finally out of the splint. I couldn't take the pain anymore so I went to see another hand surgeon. This guy had been recommended by a friend and what a genius!!! After bending my hand around and making me scream and squeal...he said "yep, I know what this is and I've got good news and bad news..." so ok.....What's the good news..."well this isn't going to kill you" so what's the bad news..."we can treat this with a cortisone injection, which is very painful and it only works on 50 percent of the patients....."
what happens to the other 50 percent? "well there's a small surgery, local anesthetic and that takes care of it for sure"
What is this thing..."De Quervains tenosynovitis. Usually it happens from repetitive motion but it can also come from sudden trauma (my fall)" . So, already I'm knowing more about this than I heard from the last two guys who just said nothing was broken and put me in a splint.
The new hand surgeon said "you can keep as you are for another month or so and see if........." hell no! I've been like this since Jan!
"Or we can give you the shot right now and see if it works" Give me the freaking shot!!!!!!!!!
The nurse prepped me, he gave me the shot. It hurt like hell and it hurt for the next day and a half and then bingo! It didn't hurt anymore. I was better!!! The shot reduced the swelling in the band that holds the nerves near my thumb, it was really banged around from my fall. So now I finally have my hand back!!!!!
In other news....I have my first 3 mo check up in a coupe of weeks...followed a few days later by a colonoscopy...which I was supposed to have last year as part of a regular physical..but it was cancelled because.... cancer. So I'm not exactly looking forward to that procedure. After that ovary removal and I'm done (for a bit) with people looking into my body.
My friend was recently diagnosed with ER+ bc and there's nodal involvement....I have been spending a lot of time talking to her , hand holding and answering questions. I told her about this site.....but so far she doesn't seem to be up for it. The thing that's freaking her out is that she just got married last Sept to a widower and her husbands' late wife died of bc so there's that. She's getting her port placed next week and then she starts chemo but so far they haven't told her what sort of chemo or for how long. I hope she will come on over to the ER+ boards here because I'm sure she's got questions that a trip + like me can't answer. Anyway...;leaving now for a recipe testing evening..more to follow. Maybe I'll see you guys around later late tonight
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Sul.....yea, that is snow..we got about 2 inches...........
Slow......I'm not sure how I didn't catapolte from the passanger seat clear across and out the other door.......don't you just love when your kids try to help................
Ok, here's my little man with his favorite guy.....nothing is too much for him......check this out.....and of course I sang the entire song to him.......la,la,la,la,......la, la, la, la, Elmo's World................
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And something else too.........
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Ducky, please don't hate me, but as I type this it's 73F here in San Antonio (it hit 81 earlier). Checked my iPhone's weather app and saw Chicago made it all the way up to 34 today, and snow is expected overnight. I didn't pack my UGGs, of course, and we fly home tomorrow. Forecast is for rain and 54, so there shouldn't be anything sticking by the time we land at Midway tomorrow night. But after four days of walking around in sandals it's gonna be hard to get used to wearing socks and oxfords again.
I was something of a slug yesterday, just walking around the grounds of the resort and getting a makeup color consult at the spa. Fortunately for my Fitbit, we're at the opposite end from the restaurants, and need to climb stairs up & down if walking indoors between us and the chow. Today I treated myself to a relaxation massage (carefully instructing the masseur about how to do my LE arm) and facial. After the massage I had to dash to the loo--I peed like the proverbial racehorse, as if I'd eaten a bagful of Lasix M&Ms. It was as if my lymphatic system had awoken from a 20-yr Rip Van Winkle slumber. Then my facial gave me the same result after the arm, neck & shoulder massage part of it. The spa had an array of free crudités and fruit, and I washed it down with three glasses of berry-and-cucumber-infused water and chased it with a half-flute of cava.
This afternoon, after eating my dinner leftovers for lunch, we drove downtown to the Riverwalk. We hadn't been there since 1991, and it was still rather charming back then. Now it's chain-theme-restaurant Hell, sort of like Navy Pier without the Ferris Wheel but with nice shade trees. We tried to park nearby, but the closest we could get (due to a Kirk Franklin concert and a rock-and-hip-hop street fair/fiesta) was the edge of La Villita. We took 1step's advice and walked around La Villita, where we encountered said music festival. Because we'd done the fine-dining thing two nights in a row at our hotel, Bob wanted Mexican food. So we had late lunch at Guadalajara Grill (not as authentic as the places in the Mercado area, but still better than most places in Chicago that are neither in Mexican neighborhoods nor helmed by Rick Bayless). We shared eally good nopalitas salad made table-side, and extremely lean and tender cubed carnitas (I'm used to the fatty shredded Michoacan-style stuff in Chicago). I treated myself to a Shiner Bock because when in Rome.....I drank only half of it though. We walked along the Riverwalk, doing the central loop starting and ending at the Arnesen Amphitheater. (Of course, because I hadn't thought to take my cane, we had a harrowing descent down banister-less stone steps to the river level). I was horrified how crowded it's become, and how everything seemed to be chain restaurants (Hard Rock, Landry's, Dick's Last Resort, Rainforest Cafe, Durty Nellie's, TGChiliBenigAppleIF....) and interchangeable tacky margarita bars. There was Las Canarias to break up the banality, but as I said, we'd had our fine-dining fill for the foreseeable future (and we'd eaten there when we stayed at the Omni Mansion in '91). We needed the exercise, we'd just stuffed ourselves on Mexican food so there was no point in sailing up to the Pearl Brewery, so we opted to skip the barge tours. Fifteen bucks to be shoehorned on to a barge with the skipper/tourguide pointing out bars and restaurants? No, thank you. Here's a shot of a pretty part of the touristy section:
After we rounded a bend, we came to the quiet, untouristy part of the river that passed by the backs of the hotels:
We finally came full-circle to La Villita, where we crossed the bridge and emerged at street level. When we'd parked, we'd noticed a place called Rio de Gelato--which is what you get if you wait too long to eat your ice cream on a hot day. By the time we'd returned to the spot. gelato sounded like a marvelous idea. Turns out the place has a few flavors of exquisitely-crafted artisanal gelato, made by an elderly Italian guy who mixes ingredients like a mad scientist and changes flavors seasonally. Here's what we had:
Looks like coffee ice cream, right? Nope--it was a flavor called "Cielo" (which has nothing to do with the sky): 25-yr-old aged Balsamico, cinnamon, dates, brown sugar and Madagascar vanilla. It tasted like dried fruits in bourbon--amazing!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (the resort is on the site of the old Rogers-Wiseman Ranch). I got a couple of neat things at the spa--first, a purse that charges my cellphone (it has a rechargeable battery pack hidden inside); second, a fruit-infusing water bottle. None of the stores back home carry them, and the one I bought online from Amazon broke almost immediately. Hope this gets me drinking more water (and not forgetting to eat those berries I bought before they rot in the fridge).
Oh, and speaking of iPhones, I traded my old 5s in on a 6s. 12-MP camera, multi-touch, LivePhoto, and voice-activated Siri. Now, you don't even have to push a button to bring up Siri--you can just say, "Hey, Siri!" Well, last night, my phone was charging in my purse on the desk as I was watching TV, when on came an AT&T commercial touting great deals on iPhones for those switching carriers. The customer in the commercial said "Hey, Siri, tell me about that deal from AT&T." Before anyone else in the commercial could utter a line, my purse began talking: "Switch to AT&T now and I can get you an iPhone 5S for free, or a 6S or SE for as little as $15 a month!"
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Blessed Sunday morning crazies.
Another long gap in posting, but I've been coaxed out for a moment by the most ravishing surprise. I will not even attempt to pretend I could use words to express my gratitude for the gift I received from the Crazytown Sisterhood yesterday. Something crafted from the deep medicine intentions and magical hands of our dear Katy, and finished in collaboration, with several more of you amazing, dear, sweet women. Some of you I know more directly and, some of you joined in and extended yourself to me nonetheless. Thank you.
I am moved beyond words to have received this magical, MEDICINE Quilt.
I want to acknowledge all of you directly involved: Katy, Slow, Octo, Rainny, Jan, Poppy, Molly, hb cheryl, 2nd time around. AND I thank Gaia- universe, everyday for all of the women who populate this place we call home, Crazytown. A place for both the practical and the magical.
Please accept my deepest thanks.
wWith so much love
Gaia aka Gogo
Christine
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Good Morning Crazies:
Sandy, that gelato sounds wonderful!
Ducky, even here in California it is rainy and gloomy this morning....
and Sula: so wonderful to have you back and I am so glad to hear that the hand has been healed! Happy Dance here! I bet you are very happy to have found that particular hand surgeon! I haven't been up to Sonoma in a while, need to go see my Dad, and pop into the Plaza for coffee with you. Hope that happens before long. and next time we meet up in La-la land, you should come down....
Slow, I hope you have a restful and lovely day with your family and have a day where you can enjoy yourself and rest up before the surgery. We all love you and I am getting together that huge party in your pocket!
As for me: something really strange happened this morning: I woke up feeling really, really good. For the first time really in, well, a long time. I am going to have a fun day: hubby and I are driving into San Francisco with friends to see the Giants play (Beat LA!) so anticipation of my first baseball game of the year is part of it, but it is more than that....I have energy, it didn't hurt like hell to get out of bed, I feel like smiling.
So, I am actually wondering if the Arimidex was actually causing (or contributing to) fairly mild to moderate depression (I assumed I was just naturally depressed because of the bc itself and the aftermath and ptsd of being post treatment). If so, now I have to watch and see how I do with Femara, given that I am only three days in....So far, I am not noticing any SEs from Femara, other than a hot flash now and then...none of the huge issues with joint pain I had on Arimidex, though I can't remember how long those took to manifest on the Arimidex. I really should keep a journal (but I won't. Too much else going on to take the time). Anyway, hot flashes (which I didn't have on Arimidex) are annoying, but for me, not nearly as problematic as the joint problems and not nearly as disruptive as depression.
I went swimming yesterday and got a huge hot flash in the pool! That was a weird sensation but after all, I was in the right place to try and cool off after....of course, I might not be so sanguine about the hot flashes when summer hits around here and the temps climb into triple digits!
Work continues to be crazy, but I am coping better, AND, I am going on vacation!!! Woohoo!! (that alone could be cheering me up!). We leave the 25th and will spend five days in Mexico City (that part is actually partially work (attending a conference that I've been asked to present a poster at), tough life I know, but I am particularly looking forward to it because I know the city very well but hubby has never been and it will be fun to show him around...). From there we fly to Cozumel where we will join my dive club (33 of my closest friends :-)) and do a lot of diving. The club leaves after a week but hubby and I will be staying on another three days just to get in a few extra dives and have a bit of time to ourselves.
Yay for vacation!
I hope all the crazies have a great day. I will be thinking of you today. The weather is not promising, so hopefully no huge rain delays, and I will bring sweaters and such and hope we don't 'freeze'. I am sure ducky is shaking her head right about now wondering if those of us in California even understand what winter really means...
Hugs to all
Octogirl
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Some gorgeous visuals here! Ducky, he's SO cute!!!! (I mean the kid, not the Sesame St. guy.)
Welcome back, Sula! Those of us with thumb cancer are taking careful notes. My LE therapist also mentioned that as a possibility, but mine isn't as severe. I'm so glad your pain is gone!
Sandy, we were on the Riverwalk 8 years ago next month. I remember it well, and fortunately we were visiting friends, one of whose family is Mexican, so we stuffed ourselves with splendid local food, including breakfast tacos. All I can say is that it's good I don't live there, from the viewpoint of my arteries.
{{{{{{Christine!!!!!!}}}} And good job, Katy, for organizing....
Octo, so glad for feeling good and energetic! I remember that feeling, suddenly this winter maybe six weeks after rads ended. Enjoy the baseball game. If you were ever in this neck of the woods, I would take you to the Brooklyn Cyclones, our minor league team. We go a few times/summer. There is a lot of schtick involved and always high-fat, unhealthy food.
Crazies, I am planning a cooking day. We'll see how much happens. I'm planning the lambajin pizza from the Jerusalem cookbook, a lemon-poppyseed pound cake, and bread, always bread. It's sunny but quite cold out.
Enjoy the day, all of you, noisy and quiet!
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Gaia, what a wonderful thing these beautiful women did for you. I am touched beyond words
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Gaia........lovely quilt.........I have never owned a quilt and I and I will be 81 at the end of this month..........they are so pretty......always looked but never purchased.............and I have the perfect bedroom set for one since it is an original "all wood which you can't buy today unless you want to give your first born as payment"..........
My set is 60 years old.......and dark cherry.....solid wood......4 poster....but never had the honor of wearing a "quilt".....LOL..........
Quits are so homey.....and inviting when you walk into a room......they said "welcome come sleep with me"............can't figure out why I never bought one........
It is a beautiful sunny day here in the Philly suburbs, but still very chilly........
Octo.....the Arimidex did a number on me....I think I shared that with you already.......horrible drug....Femara was not too kind either, but Letrozole was a tad kinder, not much.........and depression......absolutely........on all of them.......I use to cry at Hallmark commercials.........my SE's never went away completely, and some days are not real bad, but most days.....evern present..........its just ugly.........but better then when I was on that shit............4 years and I said "SEE YA"......off it now for 6 months...........one good thing, my thinning hair is now "out of control"..........much thicker then while on the drug.........oh well shit happens right......
Have a good Sunday ladies....hugs
By the way.......I envy anyone who can do the quilting you ladies do.......when it comes to crafty.........I'm clueless..........haha
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Sula- great to see you here and happy that splint is off! I can't imagine how that interfered with your work in the kitchen!
Octo- 🐙🐙🐙 so very happy to hear your news. It lifted me up as well. Hope you have a great time enjoying the baseball. And the vaca sounds divine! 🐙🐙🐙
Rainny that menu sounds deeeeelish! Hope somehow there are quantities sufficient for "tube sharing", haha.
Ducky, we missed you! Hope none of that snow stuck around and you start to see a real spring unfolding.
Slow- as always, thinking of you and pulling my knapsack together for a long term stay in your pocket. I'm starting the mojo drip now, pharmaceutical grade, to get you comfortably through these last couple of days of waiting, then on to speedy healing after.
Gaia/Christine- so nice to see you here too. You make giving easy, because you are such a beautiful, giving spirit yourself.
Waving hello to all crazies 🙋🙋🙋 (((Shorfi))) and wishing you all a peaceful day.
🎪🎪🎪🎪
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âfternoon, short morning st gym, i am fear full of overdoing stuff so only doing half of what I used to do
But good news as it is lovely sunny day and headed out to coast for fish
Yummmm but ate way too much
Back still ok
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Can I make a suggestion...can we all say where we are from..some of us do, and some don't......I swear I can't remember shit.........I try to place people with places, and well "forget that"..........I will start,
1.Ducky (nickname) real name Genevieve....from Drexel Hill, Pa. Small town outside of Philly
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sure, i am iris and live in sayreville nj which is close enough to the coast to get to ocean on lovely days like today
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Ducky,
Bobby is a real pro..that kid could be a model!!! I'm Kathy out in Sonoma California, about 40/50 mi north of SF
Octo,
Love to see you again...and also any other CT ladies that roll through Wine country. Next time we're in LA for business I'm ringing the warning bell to see all the SoCal Ct'ers.
Gaia,
so good to see you again too..that is a beautiful quilt. Quilting is one thing I never tried..I used to knit and needlepoint, and my grandmother taught me crewel work so there are bags of samplers stashed somewhere in the house.
Jack/Katy,
little Jack looks so smart and always ready for action. Hope you;re doing well up in the rainy Pac Northwest.
Slow,
Hope things are going well for the mayor of CT
Chi,
love those Riverwalk pictures. I was just talking about that place the other day with a friend. I've never been to San Antonio..just El Paso while on the way to a film festival..but SA has always looked so beautiful..plus I love Mexican food..and that Gelato..I'm going to have to try something like that.
Tom,
waving hi to you! so sorry you missed the SoCal CT meeting.
Browsing through crazy town today now that my splint is off everything is easier and of course I got that cold thing that was going around. I was sick all last week, this week is my husbands turn so you can imagine how much fun that is.....keeping him supplied with herbal teas and kleenex...and Purell!
Getting closer to the opening of the restaurant I'm doing the menu for. It's absolutely gorgeous, and the garden for summer dining is just a little haven. They're about to plant the trees there...they have a fountain and two firepits, seating for 40 or more...really charming. The inside is sleek and modern very un Sonoma and that's what's cool about it..this place could be in LA or SF or any big city.
here's what I've been working on foodwise...vegan and gluten free...
Brownies..
and old school macaroons
no dairy no gluten.....just finished a mandarin orange gluten free layer cake with vegan buttercream mandarin orange icing which we tested last night along with vegan vanilla espresso chocolate mousse....next up raspberry macarons with dark chocolate truffle filling...
I'll show you a pic of the cake when I can
hi there to everyone I forgot to mention...CT is getting soooooo big!
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Gaiai.. The quilt is just beautiful.!! Katy you have excelled yourself as usual :-)
Ducky gorgeous photos :-)
Rainny.. Looking forward to seeing a pic of your pizza 🍕 :-)
Sula.. Your food porn looks wonderful as usual.. We miss it when your not here.!!
Twinnie.... Thinking of you.. sending love, hugs and prayers.
Lisa.. (( Hugs))
I have my pap smear today. Causing me much anxiety.. When I was 30 I had one, and had to have a diathermy afterwards, so they always cause fear. Plus I have a retroverted uterus which makes pap smears hard to do!!
I am from Bribie Island Australia.
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Thequilt is truly lovely. I am honored to help. I hope you enjoy it Gaia. Sula, your baked goods make me drool! I have what is probably bronchitis. Saw my BIL, started antibiotics and Albuterol yesterday. Feeling a bit better today.
Rona from Los Angeles. I would love to meet anyone passing this way.
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Golly Miss Molly you've been sick for far too long. I hope the antibiotics clear things up quickly.
Sula, so glad your thumb cancer is improving. I can imagine how hard it's been to work on your beautiful creations.
Lucy, Hope that pap smear went ok. Never easy, are they.
Gaia, Quilts are a way to convey love and comfort as I know you can feel. I know you will treasure it forever.
Katy, job well done!
Beppy, I've been busy gathering up well wishes for your surgery. Just reach in your pocket and we'll be there.
My next fun is Tuesday. It will be a stress test. I'm sure they won't find anything.
I live in a tiny tiny little mountain town in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. Jan
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Just finished catching up on the CT news.
Since it was spring break for my boys, (at my DHs urging) I took two of my boys for a quick visit to the Grand Canyon. I'm so glad we went. I think traveling feeds my soul. I love seeing new places; the smells... Even the hassles and some crummy food were tolerable because the rest of the experience was therapeutic.
And now that I'm back home... I have to have a dexascan tomorrow. Not painful at all... just reminds me of this cancer crap.
Octo, love the pictures of the poppies. I remember seeing them all over along the highways when I was a kid.
Gaia, I'm so glad you love the quilt. I hope it makes you feel surrounded by love. Katy is so talented! And so kind to share her abilities.
Sula, So glad you finally found relief. The food porn is excellent. I missed it.
Thinking of you Slow.
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Sheri from Center City Philadelphia
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Shorfi..........I remembered you were from CC Phila.........but nice to know your Sheri.......one day I hope we meet....
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hmmm. Got wierd phone call from guy who claimed to be contractor and wanted to give me estimate for repairs. I do have request in with association for work on bricks but those guys do not call me. Anyway he is to stop by later this morning. Ok, so my association manager knows nothing about him and I have always used guys she had referred me to
Hm,,,wonder if little old me should be creeped
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Ducky...that would be great!!!
That quilt is absolutely beautiful...always wanted one. My dad had a nice quilt given to him many years ago. After his passing...I just knew that I would inherit it...since I was his favorite daughter...lol. Never happened because my sister "grabbed" it and never said a word.
Sula...that cake...wish I had a piece.
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Iris, please be careful!
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I agree with Tomboy, Iris please make sure you are not alone. Ugh, still coughing. I didn't do the albuterol this morning. I can't stand the way the stuff makes me feel...all jittery.
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decided to leave the house and headed to the gym, just got back and no call from him so.?.atlls
Molly, talk to your doc, ,as be she can give you a dif med, i take other junk and only use the a junk on rare occasions
Yeap, i think I will blast this guy if he calls again. Too many scammers
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