My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
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I ranted on the steam page about trying to be nice to people who keep recommending me diets to cure cancer. The latest was they read on the Internet someone followed a strict 250 calorie per day diet and cured their stage 4 cancer by starving it!!! I was skeptical so the response was, "Well if I had cancer I would try everything I could! The doctors don't know it all, probably hide the cure to get more money and big Pharma" etc etc. Smh. Headbang wall womp womp womp.
Lol baking soda. Well it's good for everything else! Cleaning, cookies...but not cancer. People want simple solutions to complex problems they can't or don't want to understand.
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@mkestrel - "Well if I had cancer I would try everything I could!" - my general response to the reduced calory intake approach is that starvation cures a lot things - like LIFE. I also note that if they had cancer, they might find it is not quite so simple as they would like to think. All of the unsolicited and sometimes really stupid advice is why I made a decision to really limit the number of people I told. I am just not able to deal with well-meaning idiots at the moment.😂
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I thought I would add a little good news… My CT scan today showed no evidence of cancer, anywhere. (My wording.) It is always difficult to post this when so many are struggling, but the general world doesn't understand that this doesn't mean I am cured or I have no side effects. I still struggle hourly with extreme fatigue and other side effects, including an emergency stop at a bathroom on the way home. I know you all get it…the fight continues.
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Congratulations, Intolight! Always nice to hear about good scans.
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kbl, I'm sorry for whatever is making you feel bad. I think we all know each other well enough not to judge if something seems out of character for that person. The person who made the comment was a former college roommate and not someone from this forum.
You are loved.
(((hugs)))
Carol
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@sunshine99 Thank you. 💕
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Intolight-Great news! I'm glad you shared it.
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intolight~ always give us good news. We’re a team. We need those moments of good news. Happy dance for you hugs!
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Intolight, so good to hear about your scan results! And I share your feeling, as in 'scan results are good but I still feel like crap'. It's such a dichotomy, and no one in my life outside of this group gets it.
Sometimes just getting through the day and finding small moments of peace and even a little joy is all I have energy for.
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Sfcakes - You've said it well, and I too can relate.
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@intolight that is amazing, spectacular news! Wow! NED! Like for real! May it last many more scan cycles, but go enjoy this knowing that for now your cancer either isn't existing in your body or is so microscopic that current technology cannot identify it. How fabulous :)
Ah - I got 'approved' to have some ibuprofen and GEE that helped right away and I felt much better. Honestly, just some days I need to get off insane island for a while. Second infusion yesterday went well and I think my mouth sores and sore esophagus are calming down to where I want to eat a bit more. Thank god, because between that and the D Ive been leaking potassium and I really gotta work to keep it up AND supplement. Not sure why its just potassium since my Magnesium and Sodium are all fine (sodium a bit low but nothing scary). I think the hydration packets helped those two come up a bit and helped the K not drop too far, but MO wasn't too keen on me using them while also supplementing K. Which I get but clearly not even supplementing is doing the full trick, though I wouldn't use the rehydration packets (like making home Gatorade) if I was getting IV K. Which I was threatened with yesterday (ohhh nothing more boring than one of those!), though I was also told to eat a banana once a day.
Today I have therapist call and then I was going to chip away at this occupational health information requestion for work so I can get paid next month. Oddly enough Im kinda looking forward to it and having something real to do :P
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sondraf Happy to hear you finally got approved and relief….sheesh get off the insane island for sure! i'm glad your appetite is coming back and I hope you can enjoy a good meal.
intlight Congrats on your NED…yipeeee!! I also feel uneasy sometimes posting good news when my heart aches for all here. Mel said it best, that we are a team. We are here for each other through the wins and the losses.Plus when we do hear the stable's and NED's I think it gives us hope.
sunshine Sorry you had to be annoyed by those comments, I'm annoyed with ya. I would just not even waste my precious time responding. Last summer I had someone I know fairly well tell me I should go and get my teeth checked lol. She said the meridians of the teeth may coincide with my cancer. She thought I may have an underlying infection lurking beneath old dental work. Well if anyone has ever had an infected tooth you know real dental pain. People in a very odd way think they can give you the info to cure your cancer. As we all know here you can do everything the "right" way and here we are.
@emac877 Thinking of you and hoping you are healing each day.
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cookie54 I don't even know what meridians of the teeth are, so that advice would have been lost on me!
I am 20 pounds overweight but my GP now says that''s fine. Don't lose. For the first time in my life, I embrace this twenty pounds. So no starvation diet here.
I went walking in the park along the river yesterday. It's quiet on Mondays. I saw a baltimore oriole, an eastern bluebird, and a lively family of geese. Also, because I had consumed a bunch of flaxseed to help with that familiar problem, I forged through the underbrush to a remote tree and sh*t in the woods, just as nature intended. I am sure that is more than you ever wanted to know, but as is often said here, it's the little things in life.
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Intolight - what great news🎉🎉🎉. If only it meant no more treatment and we could go back to preMBC normal. But we all know the reality🙄.
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Woohoo intolight!!!!
That is something I grapple with… that we are not "cured" or, like goldens said above, that NED "if only it meant no more treatment and we could go back to preMBC normal". My scans back in April too did not show any evidence of disease (Thank God). But my MO notes said "stable on Lynparza" when I read them in the patient portal. And when I asked him about stopping treatment (I knew the answer but wanted to hear him say it) he said NO, that the cancer would grow without the meds. Cancer is hard to understand.
And, even if we are stable, we can still feel like crap. I nap every day. 30 min- 1 hour. It is hard to fight it. I need to recharge the batteries. I didn't used to be that way. And even though the nausea is better from the dose reduction of the Lynparza (Thank God), I still have unexpected bathroom trips at times.
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I nap every single day. For a few hours. Fatigue is a beast.
tougholdcrow~ I had to laugh at your informative post lol. I needed that thank you. Walking in nature must agree with you.0 -
KBL, hugs from me too, don't feel bad anymore, everyone can make mistakes. I tend to try to over help people and wind up erasing comments or editing too. Learning not to over help or add unsolicited advice unless someone's post asks for it.
I slept well, dealing with a sore back that is gradually getting better, about to put the tens machine on it and take some advil with tylenol. Will be stretching on the bed since can't get up off floor readily, may also workout from the bed, lots of arm and leg exercises. Stepping will involve marching on the spot for my steps, too warm outside and last thing needed is for me to get heatstroke since I cannot handle the heat. House nice and cool with AC in bedroom, high power fan blowing to living room and couple fans on low stirring the air.
Planning to simply do some more daily chores, dusting, vacuuming, laundry as well as well as making money from TV ads, watching a travel channel, sometimes listen to groove music or watch cute animal videos. Stupid easy way to make a little money and help pay for groceries etc. Planning to have a bigger meat pie for breakfast, add lentils and chia, put in a dollop of caesar dressing, later will probably have some sort of egg sandwich. I am also thinking of picking up a muffin pan, saw a recipe where the person whipped up cottage cheese and an egg together, poured into greased pan and baked on 350, can't remember the time but I think that sounds so good as an extra option. Got a couple of metal muffin pans though thinking more about egg bites vs actual muffins, could really do a lot. Was starting to get a silicone muffin pan but got nervous about heating up silicone so decided against it, supposed to arrive today. I just imagine so many different things I can make with various ingredients and have a smaller amount.
Anyway, enough of my boring chatter, I am in pockets of Emac and Sondra and anyone else needing it and own pocket to do all chores I have assigned myself. Kick my own butt. Not like they take long given the small space but if done a bit each day, less need to look at a larger clean.
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@tougholdcrow birding and s* in the woods hahaha wish we could go hiking and birding together in the woods. I intend to go as soon as possible. I hiked in the desert but it was too hot already.
Here's the birds I've "shot" lately. Osprey, Oriole, nuthatch, quail, not sure the one taking a bath.
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I love nature. It’s so beautiful and freeing. I love orioles. They are so petite and the colors so different. Thanks for sharing your hiking photos as you go!!!
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Mkestrel - Just love the photos. The one taking a bath looks like it could even be a duck.
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@mara51506 Thank you, Mara.
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@intolight, that is such good news. You have given me a wonderful start to my day.
@tougholdcrow, I can't stop giggling about activities in woods. If I did that, I would end up with poison ivy or oak or whatever it is in America, and I would be so busy looking around for bears or other animals that I would probably fall over. But when you gotta go, you gotta go - and it is better out than in.
@mkestrel the pictures are so wonderful - it must have taken much patience to capture them in action.
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@tougholdcrow Love your walk along the river story , cracked me up! Yep those flaxseeds are quite the colon cleanse lol.
mkestrel Awesome photos', love the action shot.
Mara Hope you back is feeling better and you got your list of chores done today. Heating up here too and I'm enjoying the A/C. We have so much pollen around I don't even want to open the windows.
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What a lively chat you folks have going on here. Love the birdies and laughing at the vision of pooping in the woods. Just be careful, last time I did that I was cursed with poison ivy. eekkkkkkkkkk.
I'm up and heading out the front door every half-hour (probably more) looking for our beloved Bootie cat. Last seen 7 p.m. night before. She came for her dinner and I invited her in the house. She turned her nose up and went the opposite way. I could se she was off balance. Best guess she's 12, as she was abandoned by the lady that had owned our home. She will not go to anyone but me. No one can pick her up and if they call her, she ignores them. I think she may have decided to wonder off into the huge lot next door to take on her next adventure. sigh..
Congrats to NED and those that are showing regression, improvement. Love and prayers and in pockets for all your needs.
Starting lymp treatment tomorrow, then on to neurologist. Busy day so we'll eat at the hospital. Gotta go and call for Bootie one more time, who am I kidding I'll be up and out all night. Got my flashlight ready. Already covered 2 city blocks. Time to try again. She is such a sweet kitten……..
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Cookie I did finish chores yesterday, will be doing quick chores today, it took all of 10 minutes to do a cursory dust and vacuum yesterday, can probably get done again post Herceptin which I have today.
My back is recovering, I believe the TENS device helped, had on my back a long time, I don't let my mind wander as to what I did, just thankful it is clearing up.
I received a couple metal muffin trays, many things involving eggs and cottage cheese will be whipped up and baked, hoping for a shop with DB tomorrow instead of ordering a delivery, if not, can still use what I have here. Debating even putting a mini pot pie and egg mixture together, whipped up in chopper and top with shredded cheese, would probably be good, for today just having a couple mini pot pies with lentils about 1030. Also going to put some bb cream over my sunscreen, blush and the burts bees lip colour. Not too much make up but should be comfortable. Today's weather is vascillating between sun and storms and is humid as well so there will not be walking outdoors, debating a walk post Herceptin within the hospital before calling for my Paratransit home, easy to get steps that way. Need to get back on regular bus as well, could make more frequent free trips to pick up stuff needed for meals without need of a big delivery or booking. May also hop over to the grocery store across the road post Herceptin, grab a couple things then go back and phone for the trip home, would not be a long walk, will ponder that more.
Hoping everyone has a good day and in pockets for everyone who needs me. Thinking about emac as well, have to check brain mets thread just to make sure am not missing anything.
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Irish - Poor, poor kitty. I hope you find her, or that she comes to you.
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Thank you all for the concern. I am hoping to be discharged today. I have a feeding tube now and it seems for the next six or seven weeks I will be on in ice chip and clear liquid diet that is low acid while my esophagus heals. My main nutrition will go through the PEG tube. I'm also hoping that I can get an appointment with my oncologist soon so that I can get back on treatment. The blockage of pills was about 4 inches long so I'm not sure that any of the Xeloda that I was taking actually got absorbed. I can attest that a starvation diet does not kill cancer. They've been working on my labs all week to normalize them after I got so malnutritioned.
I am also loving the pictures. The rodeo was fun. I actually rode English most of the time but Prescott was a very "cowboy" town when I lived there so I gave it a shot. I think my horse was happy to go back to trail rides. That was something like 22 years ago. It all feels like another lifetime ago.
I will check back but I'm typing this on my phone which I am not very good at. In pockets for everybody that needs them and again thank you for messages of support. This group is amazing for that. @intolight congratulations on NED. That is amazing news!
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Irishlove - praying to St Francis of Assisi that he leads your kitty back home🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻.
Our best friends of 42 years are arriving today and staying to Sunday. We will enjoy great food, lots of wine and board games galore. Will include a couple dinners with DD and family. Our 2 families are interwoven. Our friends are our youngest DD Godparents. Friends son and daughter are our oldest GS Godparents. Our friend is our GDs Godfather. And our DD is Godmother to our friends GD.
Sending wishes to all for a lovely holiday weekend as we remember those who gave their lives for our freedom🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸.
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emac~ crossing fingers that you go home today! Yay. I hope you gain your strength back soon. Thinking of you.
hello to all you wonderful ladies !1 -
here is Theo and my first selfie! lol he just plopped down on my shoulder and laid on my head. lol I love this lil guy! Brings me joy.
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