Anyone starting chemo August 2016?
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6 cycles for my dad. Every 4 weeks... no surgery. No radiation. His cancer is lymphoma
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Kechla, I'm very sorry that another family member is having to deal with cancer. That just plain sucks! I hope that all goes smoothly with his infusions.
My sweet dog Katie had a needle aspiration of a spot on her cheek last week. Sadly, it is suspicious for cutaneous lymphoma. She was initially diagnosed with lymphoma back in February, but is still doing great. I'm so grateful for that. We'll probably have the bump excised next week and hope she enjoys many more months of a high quality of life.
Lyn
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Hello Ladies!
Kelly.... So sorry for your loss and also having you dad go through this stuff. I hope he can do well and keep BS level during treatments.
misslil.... How are you doing? Thank you for info on reduction.
Lyn... You are funny thank you for the help & humor. I am sorry your fur baby is going through this too.
I finally went to the foot doctor and got a shot or cortisone 😱 that was special. But it's helping.
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Owie, Cali! I had cortisone injections for heel spurs years ago. It helped a ton.
Lyn
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Owie, Cali! I had cortisone injections for heel spurs years ago. It helped a ton.
Lyn
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Kelly, I'm so very sorry for the loss of your mother-in-law. I too, just recently lost my sister-in-law (1 month ago) to brain cancer, and my brother was just diagnosed last week with lung cancer. It seems the hits keep coming.]As for your dad, yes my sister was diabetic and had a very hard time with blood sugars. The night after her infusion, it would always go into the 300-400. Her doctor told her that if it hit 500 she needed to go to the ER. She found that if she got on her recumbent bike and pedaled for an hour or so, it helped her body process the sugars faster. But you and I know just how much you feel like bike riding after a full day of chemo!
I'm doing OK. I had broken my arm (radius and one small bone in the wrist) but got my cast off on Wednesday. Then had a big pottery show/sale on Sunday and darned if I didn't fall again on some uneven brick steps. I'm fine and didn't break anything again, but boy I feel like I'm 101 yrs old! I have to accept that my balance is terrible due to a foot surgery that has fallen apart. Also having some hip issues and just wondering when all this "fun" will come to an end.
I hope all have a good week. I just love that the weather has finally cooled here. I've included a couple of pictures of the pottery "pre-fall". I had 8 pieces included and other members contributed also. It was such a beautiful location in Claremont with spectacular views.
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Your pottery is gorgeous, Dara! And I am sorry about the falling. My language/word recall has been greatly affected by treatment.
Kelly - I am so so sorry.
Cali - I'm sorry about the shot, but I hope it helps!
Annie
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Word recall?? Same. Brain does not quite function the way it should sometimes. I also struggle to do complex work at the end of the work day.
Thank you all for your kind words. I'm still trying to make sense of it. I am trying to be grateful for the years we had vs. the months (or maybe years ahead) that we will not share. I just counted and realized that I got to know her for 29 years. Lucky me.
Cali, I hope your foot feels better. I struggle with bunions and I think I might have a spur developing on the bottom of my heel. I can not stand on hard surfaces for more than a few minutes without pain.
Dara, maybe invest in some training wheels...
Your pottery is beautiful and the show looks great! The view behind the pottery is pretty spectacular as well.VLH, I hope your dog recovers well from removing the spot and that you are able to add some quality time. My dog is currently recovering from her bladder surgery but I think something else is going on as well. She had pancreatitis before the surgery that I think is not quite resolved.
It is not cool here, it is cold! 24F when I left the house this morning. Hello winter...
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It seems like we should get a break from crap and sadness and it just continues to roll in. I'm so sorry Kechla/Kelly and Dara. Dara- your pottery is awesome! Love the pictures. Annie- how about a baby picture to put a smile on some faces here
Hoping everyone has a smoother, less pain and crap kind of week!
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Ohmigosh, Dara, blasted cancer! I'm sorry to hear about the tumbles. The training wheels sound like a good idea.
I agree, your pottery is lovely. How nice to have a creative outlet.Kechla, I hope your dog recovers quickly. Pancreatitis can be rough.
I've just committed to a work assignment on 11/29 so I need to get strong by then!
Lyn
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So many challenges on top of the BC issues. The pottery is beautiful
Calli, I'm doing well. Had my surgery about 10 days ago now. The reduction side barely hurt at all. However I can report the donor site around my middle for fat grafting (to soften lumpectomy dent) hurts like a b----, in technicolor lol.
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Gabby seems to be feeling better this week. Changing food again tomorrow, so we'll see... Gabby and Maggy say hi!!
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Howdy, Gabby and Maggy! Some serious cuteness overload happening there. :-)
The vet called yesterday regarding Katie's pathology report. It showed clean margins, but the results again suggest cutaneous lymphoma. The pathologist recommended more extensive testing; however, Katie doesn't exhibit other clinical symptoms & we won't do chemo so what's the point of additional expensive tests? I hope the local tumor removal gives us at least another 10 months together.
As I've tried becoming more active, my @#$# back issues are re-emerging. Where's the poop emoji on here? ;-) I didn't get a promised callback from the pain management specialist's office & don't know if he'll do an injection without a new CT or MRI. That would require sedation so I'd need two rides, test day and injection day. I HATE imposing on my friends repeatedly. I'm assuming herniated disc issues, not mets to the spine since the pain starred with trying to return to a normal life.
Outpatient rehab is making me start over as a new patient, even though I was there in March. I can't get a lymphedema evaluation until 12/5 ; however, my oncologist is helping to start the pump pre-determination process now. My neuropathy PT evaluation is next week. I need to work on balance, gait and endurance issues as well is range of motion in my frozen shoulder. I'm also starting to have pain in my good shoulder. Again, where's that blasted poop emoji?
I wonder if radiation in the opposite side of my body could be a contributing factor or if it's just a coincidence? I guess the outcome is the same either way. I'm both excited about and dreading returning to my part-time job. I want to resume my life, but am still so tired and skipping the pain medications to help with my balance is miserable. I wish I had the money to retire and pay for regular massages, but I'll never recover financially from this. I haven't had the courage to look at my balance due at the vets' office, but am grateful that we've become friends over the past 25+ years so they're letting me make payments.
Lyn
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Dara... I agree on the training wheels ... The pottery picture is great.
misslil... I am glad all went well but sorry about the pain.
Kechla .... Too cute ...thx for that smile I just got.
Lyn....I agree ...where is that poop emoji? Seems we all keep having side effects and other crap happen. Shouldn't we get a break?? Not that I don't appreciate each day I'm still here
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So true, Caligirl. Enough already!
Speaking of enough, I have 13 PT and lymphedema appointments lined up through the end of the year. [Insert 13 poop emojis here.] I flunked all three balance tests at my evaluation and couldn't do the sustained walking test because my diastolic blood pressure was too high so I'm feeling lower than a snake's belly. Standing with my eyes closed was downright scary. Training wheels...STAT, right, Dara?
The only good news is that the rehab center works directly with the Flexi-Touch pump people. My physical therapist was going to try to get the ball rolling now (well, probably Monday because of the holiday) since I shared my concerns about needing insurance approval before year end.
I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving!
Lyn
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Lyn...we just have to keep our chins up and at least we have each other to share these things with 😬
Happy Thanksgiving y'all
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Hi and Happy Thanksgiving. They really do need the poop emoji! Yesterday was good but totally exhausting. By the end of the day, everything hurt so badly I couldn't move. Lyn, what is the Flexi-Touch pump? I have PT twice a week right now, but I'm not seeing much change. The therapist said the full thickness tear in the middle glut cannot be repaired without some major surgery. I just feel like I've fallen apart the last few years.
It was totally wonderful though to think back and know this time last year I'd barely finished chemo, was doing radiation, and was just as bald as our American eagle!!
Kechla, your dogs are just beyond adorable. I am such a softie with just about all dogs! Lyn, hope your pup is doing better. We had a cocker who wound up with "breast cancer." We didn't know how harmful is is for dogs not to be spayed if they haven't had litters.
Hope all of your holiday was great yesterday. Hang in with all the issues still lingering.
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Well, blast, Dara, on the injury not being repaired without major surgery. :-(
The Flexi-Touch goes through a massage sequence similar to what a lymphedema specialist would perform manually to reduce swelling. It takes an hour, but I find the compression sleeve and glove difficult to tolerate all day and I figure I can read or watch TV while there pump runs through its cycle.
Not a club any of us wanted to join, but it is nice to have this group for moral support, isn't it, Caligirl?
Lyn
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Hi Everyone-
Just checking in....love the pup pics, sounds like we're all dealing in the aftermath of the crappy cancer. Don't they say this is actually the harder part since we're "done" with active treatment, but yet never feel like we're back to normal? I'm tired of feeling tired. Feel like I complain all the time and the family looks at me like I shouldn't be. Got blood work last week and my white cells are at an all time low since this all started. Red is still on the low side and platelets. At least it's on paper lol and I can "prove" a reason.
My hair is nuts....still super wavy, woke up with it sticking straight up in the air this am lol.
Thinking of you all!!
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ajbclan, what does your doctor say about your blood tests? What's the plan going forward?
Kechla, how's your dog doing? I found a new growth on Katie Wednesday night so my hopes of ten more months is likely now far too optimistic.
Losing one of the joys in my life and my work partner in one fell swoop will be a tough blow.I've used my new lymphedema pump a couple of times now. I haven't been able to see a significant difference in swelling, but don't know how long a response typically takes. Getting the #$@# garment on is a major pain in the posterior, but the actual treatment is quite relaxing.
I'm doing better today, but found myself totally overwhelmed yesterday. Everyone says that I "look great," but that makes me feel like I should leap back into my pre-cancer life as though I haven't been sliced, diced, infected, poisoned and burned. Our joshing about training wheels aside, I hate teetering around on the verge of a fall because of the neuropathy damage. It makes me feel 93 years old instead of 63. [Insert our 💩 emoji here. Do y'all see the emoji or coding gibberish?]
Despite the collateral damage from the cancer cooties, I hope you all have a joyous holiday and that 2018 is kind to you!
Lyn
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Hi guys!
I am sorry so many of you are having a tough go of it.
Kechla - thanks for sharing Maggie and Gabby with us. What cuties!!
I have avoided you a bit for the last month or so because I hate to be the bearer of scary news.
I am having a recurrence. I have been a bit persistent with getting imaging because I have felt like something is wrong. We finally found some suspicious lumps in the ultrasound that didn't show up in the mammogram. Breast MRI shows multiple areas of concern and biopsy confirms. Same cancer, same breast.
I had a PET scan last week and am so relieved that it is a local recurrence. No evidence of lymph node involvement, my surgeon isn't event messing with lymph nodes. I am having a mastectomy next Friday and starting a new round of chemo in late January.
Love, love, love to all of you! To lighten the mood, I'll include a picture of Josie under the tree.
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Annie, I am so very sorry to hear the news of the recurrence but so glad you have stayed right on top of things. Was your mammogram a 3 D one or the regular mammogram. Those damn little cells are so devious! We all thought that by going through chemo it would catch any stray cancer cells. Have you decided to have a double mastectomy or just the one that is affected?
What a precious little girl Josie is. Try to stay focused on the joy she brings into your life and stay as positive as you can. It's so good that the pet scan showed no metastasis. You've got this as well. Stay persistent and be your own best advocate. You have all of our love here. Also good thoughts, prayers, good vibrations, and everything else positive coming your way. Love you so much and will check in on you regularly. Keep us posted. Love and hugs. Dara
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Oh, Annie, NO! I'm so very sorry to hear of the recurrence, but am glad that it's localized to the breast. Josie is absolutely darling! Who will be available to help with her after your mastectomy? Do you know what chemo you'll have? You must be incredibly worried.
Lyn
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Annie, I'm so sorry you have a recurrence. I also had a recurrence (after 8 years!) and it pretty much deflates your sails. Like you, mine was also a local recurrence. I will be sending positive thoughts your way that the mastectomy takes care of everything and that they get clean margins. I'm so glad that you pushed for the testing you needed to be able to find this while it is still in it's early stage. Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. Josie is adorable!
VLH, I'm sorry you found another lump on your dog. It's not fair that our pets are with us for such a short time. But I take comfort in the fact that dogs that have grown up in good homes, have plenty of food, and have been loved have the best life that they can. Sorry also for your friend and mom. Hang in there. That's a lot to take in all at once. I get it about looking great. I feel like I look pretty normal, but still feel exhausted most of the time. Think mine might still be from the hysterectomy and likely the menopause that came along with it. Still recovering from the anemia. Throw in a little lingering surgery, radiation, and chemo effects from last year. Lovely Tamoxifen. And my complete lack of exercise... One of those things might be it...
Gabby is doing so much better. She is happy and spunky again. Funny story, we put together a home-made gingerbread house last night. It was a labor of love as we made all the walls and everything from scratch. Today, I went home for lunch and there was a single green skittle on the counter. I looked all over the house to see where it had fallen from and couldn't find any missing. Then I realized that 2 of the Christmas trees were completely gone. My dog, Maggy, had jumped up taken a couple of the loose trees, jumped down and shared them with Gabby on the living room carpet. I know this because apparently they didn't like the licorice that was on the tree and left those on the carpet. LOL!!! Wish I had that on video.
Kelly
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The gingerbread story is a hoot, Kechla!
Lyn
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Annie ... Well that just sucks. I am glad it's localized and the mastectomy should take care of it all. This darn cancer just keeps giving one way or another. I will be praying. Josie is just too cute thank you for sharing.
Kelly...love the picture and the story. Too funny!!
Lyn...some days it is overwhelming .. Today I had my oncology appointment and it brought a lot of emotions as I went into the building thinking about last year and how cold and lonely it felt at times.
I have a lump so the doctor wants me to get an ultra sound and mammogram next week. Worse is my daughter in law has had pain in one breast and the doctor found a lump which made me so upset it's like go head and pick on me but leave my sweet Claudia alone.
Hope your all finding Joy in the Christmas Season 🎄
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Ohmigosh, Cali, no more cancer crap for you or your DiL! I hope you both get favorable news.
Lyn
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Ohmigosh, Cali, no more cancer crap for you or your DiL! I hope you both get favorable news.
Lyn
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Cali, I'm so so sorry you're going through this also. It's just not fair! Did you have a mammogram over the summer? Was it the 3D mammogram? What's the worst is going back to the waiting game!! I think I'd react the same as I did the first time, I'd want answers NOW. But if nothing else, last year taught us all that there are things out of our control.
Sending prayers to you and your DIL, and to all in our little group. We've been through one of the worst times in our lives, and just remember several of us are still here for you. We got each other through the first time and we'll keep going for anyone needing help or support.
So much love sent to everyone here.
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Thank you ladies your words mean so much. Tomorrow is Claudia's mammogram. I will keep you posted on her. Mine won't be till Jan. 15th. They will do the mammo & ultra sound so that's why I have to wait. Someone slipped up and didn't schedule my 6 month one boob appointment so I have to wait. Then the oncologists scheduler said the breast center went ahead and cancelled my June appointment. I just want to scratch my head and wonder what the?? That's my yearly regular mammo...seriously these are the experts?? I will call the breast center myself since the oncologist can't get it worked out!! Yes Dara I have the 3D.
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