August 2015 Chemo Group
Comments
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What I don't get about the dream is the sausages. In church?
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It is a beautiful ending to our movie...0
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In Slavic cultures, Easter baskets with Bread, Eggs, sausages, salt are brought to church on Easter Sunday to be blessed.
Musosgirl, what you said about "sigh of relief" reminds me of what Scully of X-Files said to Mulder (her personal worrywart?) after she returned from her abduction: "I am back, and I am not going anywhere."
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Superius! Are you a sci-fi nerd too?! Why do you have to live so far away?! Mulder. sigh. But my heart is with Trek.0
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Ahh... not much, just XF. Was re-watching it before the last season, but had to skip the CancerArc (too much worryWart Mulder Angst)
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Kate - Im like you, huge wake up call especially in terms of work...as of last year I no longer put work first, huge learning curve, I put me above everyone else when I can, I honor me in the simplest of ways. Im a new improved person, and I will never go back to being the way I was, its a good thing.. another thing is congrats on such a high NO recurrence. woohoo!!! keep saying 'The Cancer has gone' don't ever say you are in remission...play on words...to say you are in remission gives it permission to come back. Positive thinking and words...keep moving as your beautiful new improved version of you...this will all become a distant but life changing moment in your life.
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speaking of wake up call... worrywart has become a "health nut" recently. He said it's because he "steps on the scale sometimes & doesn't like it". ok that's true... he is as chubby as charlie brown (as as bald!). He's been losing weight, & he said he's been jogging & he's been going to bed by 10pm and eating low carb diet. Annoying thing is, he's now on my case of not going to bed before midnight. & "you shouldn't eat after 7pm" & "only yogurt & kefir if you need a snack in the evening"... 1.5 years ago, he would be the one eating chips & dip for dinner AFTER 10pm, & me the one saying, "you shouldn't do that!"
& yesterday the parish guild ladies at church has a breakfast between 2 services (he always go eat), He asked if I went, I said no, that I already ate breakfast before church (~7:30am), he replied, "I ate breakfast, too. that's 3 hrs ago. you should eat." UGH...
So I told the friend who was standing there with us, "he's been telling me what time to sleep or eat, & what to eat!" She said, "he's watching out for you, like a big brother." ok I can go with that, but a big brother doesn't throw out PG 13 innuendos! that would be ICKY.
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That would be icky! And a big brother taking care of you is cool. But a bossy potential significant other--not so much. If it gets weird set a strong boundary.
I went 8 days with no Dr. Pepper. We are going to pretend today did not happen... At least the scale did not go up again this week like it has every week of radiation--in fact it went down one pound.0 -
In Behavior Science, that's a slip, not a relapse. Just shake it off & keep going!
I DO try to get to bed earlier (well... before midnight) & limit bad carbs (that's not easy in chinese household with elderly parents, they are pretty set in their way. But I do try to eat more salad/ veggie while at work.) Oh yeah... I totally had a slip on junk food (potato chips) Sat... I was running errand & got hungry & that's the only thing in the trunk...
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I am terrible about going to bed--my natural cycle is 2 or 3 in the morning. Melatonin does help if I am good and go straight bed after taking it. And I am just focusing on liquids right now. We won't discuss the rest of my diet for another month or so. In fact I will tackle getting back into my walking routine first. But I have a plan! One step at a time.0
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Grrrrrrrrr
Herceptin insomnia
It's 2 am
Grrrrrrrr
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Is that why I'm not sleeping?
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Quite possibly - does it get better and worse with the herceptin cycle?
Oh, and the nosebleeds! They get worse every time.
End of moan, it's not that bad really.
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Herceptin insomnia. Interesting hypothesis. I can't prove it wrong; quite the opposite. . . .
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We'll know whether it was herceptin about a month after our last herceptin injection!
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Hi Ladies
I so relate to the Dr. Pepper withdrawl. I have given up Pepsi years ago but I keep falling off the wagon. I am constantly reminding myself to stop thinking about sugar. I need to move forward to a more positive diet.
I have read that insomnia is a very common side effect of Menopause. Also a common side effect of Hormone Therapy. I have it too ladies. I have been trying different medications to solve the 4 am hotflash and the ensuing insomnia.
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Day 10 of Tamoxifen: awake at 4:00 a.m. I am going to see if acupuncture will help.
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Vicki, please let me know if it does. My insurance doesn't cover acupuncture, but I'm to the point where I'll pay out of pocket if it helps with the hot flashes, night sweats, and insomnia. Add ovarian pain to the list, and there's my six weeks of tamoxifen in a nutshell.
That said, it's not half as bad as I thought it would be. Now my oncologist is threatening ovarian suppression. . . . Which is probably a good idea, given that I'm pre-menopausal, my ovaries are waking up (and they're cranky), and the SOFT study says Lupron is probably a good idea. We'll see what she has to say in June when I see her.
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Kate, I asked my oncologist about ovarian suppression and he told me that benefits were seen for women in their 30s, but that he wasn't recommending it for me (I am 49). I see him again in July and I'll ask about that study again.
My insurance doesn't cover acupuncture, but it's offered at a reduced rate through the cancer center. I just heard about an acupuncture coop in my city where they charge a sliding scale ($10-$40). I will check them out once I can't go to the cancer center anymore (1 year after treatment ends). Hopefully it works! I was awake at 4:30 again.
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I got the date for my last Herceptin infusion--August 4th. It will be my 16th wedding anniversary so we need to plan a big celebration! A full 52 weeks of treatment (started Aug. 6th last year.) But just 5 more. 5 more...0
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Musogirl my last Herceptin is 29th July! 5 more indeed. Gosh it's been a long year. But you will have a great wedding anniversary FOR SURE!! (My 29th wedding anniv is 29th August).
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Y'all are one Herceptin infusion ahead of me. . . I have six to go.
My thing now is that I'm back to drinking beer, after close to six months of abstinence. I worry about it, which probably means I shouldn't do it anymore. My doctors have said that alcohol in moderation is fine (1-2 drinks per day; they prefer for me to drink wine), and to live my life, and this and that. . . . Anyone want to weigh in on the "to drink or not to drink" question?
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Kate every time I've dunk alcohol on Herceptin I've had a bad reaction so I've given up. But I was always a bit of a wuss with alcohol.
Hey, on a different note, I'm in Florence!
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MsBrompton-Florence looks amazing! I hope one day to be able to see Europe. My daughter is talking about doing a University exchange to Germany after Christmas. So we may just get over there for a visit!
Kate-congrats on the new house. I'm glad the move went well. Enjoy!
As far as drinking goes...wine in the winter, beer in the summer. I try to limit any alchohol to weekends. I figure I did everything I should have, and had virtually no risk factors for cancer and still got the beast. Apparently everything causes cancer, so I am going to enjoy the odd drink or 5! I'm gonna die regardless, because bacon is bad for you too.
So I have had a shitty week. I returned to work on Monday. Working half days for a month. I came home on Monday and bawled. My job as I knew it is gone. I worked in a specialized field and when both me and my coworker fell ill they had to close the department and refer testing out of the health region. They are not planning on re-opening my dept. I loved my job and worked so hard at learning everything. Now they have me pushing paper....sitting at a computer and developing processes for the referral system. My brain is like Jello and I can't concentrate or even think properly. They had a girl working with me that drives me insane. She doesn't stop talking. I wanted to tell her STFU, but I kindly told her I didn't need her assistance as she wasn't contributing to my work. She was just a distraction, and my brain can't deal with those. I am so mad at Cancer. I want to quit my job and not go back ever. I also work at the same hospital where I had all of my chemo treatments. I am having flashbacks every morning when I go by the Cancer clinic. I know it will get better and I have to trust the process. I do believe that Everything happens for a reason and I'm hoping that something good can come out of all of this.
So seeing as it was trying to snow again today, I guess wine it is!!! My old saying was, "Wine will make it better".
Cheers Kate(I should be dragging my cellulite ass to the gym. Thanks chemo and Tamoxifen for the 10 lbs I just can't shake)
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MsBrompton! Thank you for sharing pics of Europe to all of us stuck across the pond! I get terribly sick on planes so I have no plans of visiting soon, but I was a European History major and love hearing your stories.
DeeRatz, I am so sorry about your job. I have the Jello brain too and it seems to be getting worse. I said on FB that I no longer have those moments where that one thing I am trying to remember is just on the "tip of my tongue"--it's ALL in deep storage. And I think my file clerks are on holiday. I hope you can find a job that brings you joy again and a place that doesn't bring back flasbacks. Now is the time to enjoy our lives! We have more than earned it.
Kate, I had just found the one alcoholic drink I liked before my diagnosis. In general I do not drink--never have. Then my FIL started bee keeping and I had mead. Now I need an awesome (mini) tankard to pour my mead in and invisage my Medieval life! But beyond my imagination I am absolutely of no help. Sorry.0 -
DeeRatz I know about those flashbacks. They get better, slowly. Hang in there.
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When you and your dog start looking alike...matching scruff.
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Yeay Bluefrog! I feel an urge to rub up that spiky hair (on both of you!).
How is it going? You look well and happy.
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Oh dear, naughty me. Just got text from husband "X [old schoolfriend of his, very dull and even duller wife] has been in touch with my mother, asking for our address, so she gave it to him. Apparently he wants to meet up as a foursome". I texted back "Oh no. Play cancer card?".
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Bluefrog, my hair is about the same length and just today it is showing some my old curl. I have been a bit anxious about since February when it started coming in thicker--straight as a board, then just a tiny bit of wave in late March. I was so excited after my shower today--normally I brush it but let it dry natural today to see where I stand.
Love your pooch!0
