My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer

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  • irishlove
    irishlove Posts: 697

    Well it's quiet here on the forum and quiet here at my home. DH got a flu shot, his arm swelled up and turned red. He's been in bed 2 days now. His fever broke and the towels under him were soaked. We've been thru this before with injections and I believe he is allergic to something in the actual serum of these shots.

    Working on items to donate. I really need to do this as I feel there is just too much stuffed here and there. Asked DD to get busy in her room and nada was done. Sounds like the mama is gonna take care of that problem. I also would like to downsize library and donate some kitchen items. All I have to do is find the energy to do this.

    In pockets for all your scans and needs.

    Laurel

  • eleanora
    eleanora Posts: 472

    @mara51506

    I am so impressed with your relaxed attitude toward the potential outcomes for the brain development. While you are absolutely right, achieving that level of calm is a great struggle for me. In my mind, you are now "Zen Master Mara".

  • mara51506
    mara51506 Posts: 7,161

    @eleanora Thank you for the nice title. I am just being realistic, I cannot freak out all the time. I have had 10 almost 11 years of this cancer nonsense and 9 to 10 years of treatment on the brain. Another thing is that as of yet, I have not had any cancer spread beyond original surgery site of my brain which is fortunate. I am a highly anxious person but have learned to talk myself out of worrying about different things.

    @irishlove I am very sorry to hear what your husband has gone through with the shot. I hope the ingredient that caused the issue is discovered so you can avoid it in future. In your pockets. That is kind of you to want to donate stuff to others in need. As far as the energy, either do small sections a bit at a time OR consider short sorting sessions with lots of breaks. Would be slower but still get done, great you have DD, she can give you a lot of help. In your pockets for the donating and energy to get it done.

    Our snow has melted for the most part, does not look like snow will happen in the next month or melt as soon as it hits the ground. I did sleep decently last night. I had to put my AC on to keep room 22 degrees as the room gets hot while heat is on. Oh well, they are supposed to have it on and would complain about it being too cold probably.

    Got some washing to finish up and toss in dryer, got some clothes to wash up, plan to use my hanger dryer I think, I really like it. I like the other dryer that blows the heat up, holds more as well.

    I did purchase more cloths, seems like I run out of them a lot so no problem with having more, also ordered more cat food and litter. I dislike the fact I have to buy 2 at a time but there it is. I have no need to shop in the next while for groceries so that is a good thing, still got a lot of groceries that were found in the hall with the instant pot so need to get through those. I am planning to heat hotdogs in the microwave and chop up to put on top of pizza. I will see, can see the dogs heated in microwave with eggs, beans as well, let cool and chop up eggs, cheese and beans, throw in a heated pan with garlic and butter, give a good stir, turn off heat and just put a lid on them. I will see, not hungry as of yet. Have a half an english muffin with cheese and garlic on the side possibly. Sounds good to me.

    Beyond laundry, could use a sweep up, still have stuff to throw in the one large container to hold recycling stuff and the living room front closet and treadmill are tidy. I do need to move containers around when going out or using treadmill but that is just fine with me.

    Otherwise, just want everyone to have a good day and in pockets for everyone who needs support.

  • intolight
    intolight Posts: 2,832

    @irishlove So sorry to hear your DH struggled with his flu shot. I keep procrastinating getting mine although I usually get one every year without any problem. I just have this nagging little cough that keeps hanging on… I hope you are feeling better as I know you have been struggling.

    @mara51506 I agree with Laurel that your zen attitude is admirable. Your energy and fortitude is impressive. I enjoy your daily chats.

    No snow for us yet or in the 10 day forecast. Very unusual for Colorado although the ski resorts are making snow and are already open. My DH is happily decorating outside in the relative warmth—a plus for him! We have to do it before the ground freezes.

  • mara51506
    mara51506 Posts: 7,161

    OMG, @intolight Got to say was not feeling zen this morning, just really tired. I had an Amazon delivery that delivered to the top floor which meant several flights of stairs. Going up stairs from out back first to the top floor. Pkg not outside so came in at the top floor and it was up there. I was already huffing and puffing. Had to decide how to get a HEAVY box of stuff, checked order and it was 30lbs at least. Given that I don't have great balance, realized I needed to kick the items down the stairs a floor at a time. No one around to help. So was shoving the box down and let it just fall, used my foot to shove it along, held on tight to the railing as I went down. Got to my floor, took a quick breath and went about the task of getting it into the apartment, got it in. Need to open to see if anything was damaged. I really hope not, it was just cloths, 2 bags of cat food and litter so nothing overly breakable but I will open after I take some rest rught now. Was huffing and puffing all the way and holding each railing very tight. I am glad I only have 7 steps to deal with when coming and going from my level to the outdoor.

    Negative side first, should have been delievered to the right place, I do believe it was left outside and someone from upstairs brought it in to avoid theft. That really sucked.

    Positive, I, a person with issues in mobility found the easiest way to get the stuff into my place. The stairs could be counted as exercise and legs have a lot of strength to push along a carpeted floor of between 30 to 40 pounds of stuff. I held onto the walls for balance during the pushing. Those are the positive. The fact I could get stuff down to my floor by climbing stairs and yes, pushing with my foot was clever. If it would have been breakable stuff, would have brought scissors and taken down a bit at a time.

    Was going to complain to Amazon BUT I rarely have issues and I was able to recover and bring in the stuff, nothing was destroyed from pushing down the stairs and have shown myself that getting up and down the stairs is not so much of an issue that it could not be done and legs still pretty strong for me. Now to tell myself to relax and no longer worrying about it or any annoyance.

    What I will be doing is ordering a cheeseburger deluxe from Mcdonalds, I can add extras to the burger for free. I got a couple of tomatoes on it, lettuce and extra onions. Added bacon strips as well. I do like to drink fruitopia drinks as of late as well.

    Later meal will be a rice, egg and bean combo. Microwave egg and beans, let cool and chop it up with some shredded cheese

    Other than that, usual chores, laundry and cleaning the new cloths before use, that will be fun to do. That will happen post take out meal. Get some good sweeping done and rearrange the recycle area as well. Then I can see if the closet is a viable place to keep items. It is still difficult to get to. Break down boxes and store else where. Got one more big box to break down, thought about saving it but no space, got as many big storage containers as I can handle, I will check if it can fit in closet once I clear it out.

    I hope everyone has a good day, in pockets for all. Proud of myself for tackling all those stairs, getting upstairs is not as much of an issue as getting down the stairs and did not use a can as it would have proved more of an issue than without one.

  • shanagirl
    shanagirl Posts: 559
    edited November 15

    Dropping in to say hi. The forum doesn’t seem so busy as I read along . I saw you had a Birthday Dear @mara51506 . I hope you enjoyed your day and sending you Belated wishes for many more.🥰 I give you credit for your positivness regarding the years fighting cancer. Like you, I always put on a positive face to friends and family in spite of years of dealing with it. It’s only on this forum i can say and share my struggles and fears.

    @irishlove I hope your DH is feeling better after that flu shot,i haven’t had one since 2017. I refuse to go thru that after effects I used to get so sick from them., The doctors just made excuses that I must have gotten a different strain than the shot. That’s bullshit s far as I’m concerned. No more of those for me any time soon.😉

    yesterday i had my first radiation treatment. I’m doing it every day for 2 weeks,. Has anyone here had Palliative Radiation for pain? I wondering how the SE’s are and if it will relieve the pain.????

  • mara51506
    mara51506 Posts: 7,161

    @shanagirl I am glad someone is trying to address your pain. SE can depend on location being radiated. I was only ever radiated on my breast wall, that was 25 sessions, then 10 for the WBR and 5 for spot treatment on new mets in the same area. I did not have any pain related to them. SE for the breast wall were minimal, Just a minor sunburn look in my right armpit.

    May be worth googling side effects of radiation for the location you are being radiated on your body as it could be different. I only know about my brain and breast wall. In you pocket and take it easy as everyday treatment can be tiring.

  • mkestrel
    mkestrel Posts: 216

    @shanagirl I have had radiation to multiple bone mets and it does help with the pain. I hope yours is helped too.

  • irishlove
    irishlove Posts: 697

    Oh am I upset. Lost my post just as I was finishing up. So here's the short version.

    shanagirl, I did 10 rounds of rads on lower back. No SE and I'd say 50 per cent improvement. Going to do rads on femur and hip soon.

    DH bought me a new walker/wheelchair combo. It's light weight but difficult to put together. No more spills for me, hopefully.

    Finished my clothing and walkin closet. I only have 4 more days till AmVets comes to our neighborhood for pick up. I look at the large furniture and knick knacks that belonged to ancestors and I can't move to part with any of those items. I'm trying…

    Mara, glad you could manage that box. That's quite a work out girl.

    In pockets for all your needs.

  • mara51506
    mara51506 Posts: 7,161

    @irishlove I hate it when my posts disappear too, especially if they seem interesting to me. Glad your sorting is coming along. If something is too hard to part with and will not take up too much space, perhaps those can stay. Is your walker/wheel chair combo motorized? Those machines look pretty cool to me.

    Nothing on the agenda today, I got the new cloths washed up and dried yesterday, smelled very nice in the bedroom as I drifted off to sleep. Keeping the box they came in so they are handy where I need them. Got some clothes to do as well so will use the hang up thing. There are yet more cloths to do as well. I can also dry the mesh bags that I wash clothes in the hanging dryer, I will see. If I need to cook, will plug it in the living room with the rack OR bedroom with the rack which leaves power free for cooking stuff.

    I am planning to wash some blankets up as well and storing in an unused and clean garbage can that is just sitting in my bedroom, would make sense to use that to store extra throw blankets in there I would think.

    Meals, I am debating taking the queso bowl I have, heating first in the microwave, let cool and take the pan and sprinkle cheese on top and bake it in my breville oven for a bit of a crust possibly. If I change my mind, can take an egg, heat up and chop in with some beans and cheese, add some cooked white rice to the pan and go from there. I also am trying to get the ground chicken tubes, they are usually out of stock so will just have to sit here to take a picture of any replacement being offered. 10 bucks for 4 pounds of meat is pretty cheap so will wait to make meals until I see what I get. Another queso purchased as well. I also got some smartfood white cheddar popcorn, the club size because that is not much more expensive than the 200g one. I have noticed that a lot of the chips and snacks have gone through some shrinkflation but I suppose that is not unusual.

    I do hope all have a great day, waiting for my order without the ground chicken, seems like they are out of ground chicken. That is too bad. I will need to start booking paratransit trips to the grocery store and pick items for myself. I may also just take the regular bus in off peak hours to get to the walmart and pick out my own stuff I think. After getting up and down a lot of stairs yesterday, regular bus does not seem so bad. I could also go to a regular no frills store and see what they have. Plenty of options.

  • mara51506
    mara51506 Posts: 7,161

    No ground chicken received and I do not like the chicken dogs so I decided to get some canned meat, got more old elpaso mild taco seasoning and cheesy seasoning and a couple bags of chips. Mexican rice as well.

  • mara51506
    mara51506 Posts: 7,161
    edited November 17

    @intolight I can imagine feeling like you want to get your independence back, glad you are able to drive DGD to the bus stop and in pocket for DH and his procedure.

    @cookie54 I am glad to hear of your good CT results.

  • candy-678
    candy-678 Posts: 4,268

    Cookie54 and Intolight- Glad to read of your good news on scans!! Let's hope I will be #3. I had my scans last Friday and see my MO this Friday for results.

  • cookie54
    cookie54 Posts: 1,220

    Thanks ladies! @candy-678 , yes let's make it a hat trick🤞

  • eleanora
    eleanora Posts: 472

    @cookie54 @intolight

    Hooray for good scan results!

    @shanagirl

    I had palliative radiation to 8 mets on the outer surface of my posterior ribs. For 18 months I complained that something was scraping my nerves and muscles from the inside, but no diagnostic radiologist had reported these mets on a scan. I think my MO was beginning to suspect I was a hypochondriac. FINALLY, the mets were included in a CTscan report. A few very easy radiation treatments and the pain began to subside. It took about 2 months to disappear completely, but it has never returned. It is an easy treatment and I wish you success. Go hug those babies!

  • mara51506
    mara51506 Posts: 7,161
    edited November 17

    I am happy to hear about the good scans and @eleanora I am glad they finally treated those pesky mets and you are no longer in pain there.

    Not too much going on here, we had a fair amount of snow, not the 40 cm some areas were calling for. It is a sloppy mess out there now as the snow will be melting as we are not done with the above freezing temperatures. Oh well, I do not need to be out until Wednesday anyway. I will judge the outside and decide if ice melter is needed later.

    Got all new cloths washed and dried, got them in the cardboard box they came in next to the older ones, now should be able to avoid running out of cloths. Doing some clothes today and deciding where best to hang them, bedroom OR living room. I will see. I think I actually like the hanger dryer with heat from the top vs the rack I have to assemble with heat from the bottom. I like using those to avoid wear and tear on the clothes.

    I have most pantry stuff together in the same box, it is HEAVY. I do not care because it is easier to find stuff in one place, got some bags to put in the recycle container from the Walmart stuff together.

    Meal will involve eggs in some fashion, thinking two eggs microwaved get 1/4 cup black beans and add cheese, chop it and heat it up in the fry pan, high heat initially then turn off and let stuff just sit. The ramen is not as interesting to me right now, may do something about breaking up the packages and going 50/50 rice, got a lot of rice from that pack of free food that I can go through as well. I must also remember when it comes to protein, canned meat is a good option, just have to rinse off meat from a can to remove the extra sodium for a few minutes, also removes the canned taste and dry a bit as well. I am also just going to order frozen hamburgers and cook them up first, add some rice to fill out the cooked beef and give a nice stretch. Even the beefless ground is more expensive and the club size beef chubs or chicken chubs are rarely there. Oh well. I have a lot of cheesy seasoning powder from old el paso along with the mild taco sauce and that will definitely give good flavour to any bean, egg and rice type meal. I also have some organizing of containers, need to separate lids and containers into two bags, no pantry space to store them in. I accumulate quite a few when done with sour cream or the garlic spread. I reuse as an airtight container for other food items.

    Anyway, if anything fantastic comes up either out of the pantry items found a couple months ago in the hallway or making something in the instant pot, will post here about it.

    I hope everyone has a good day and in pockets for all. In own pocket to make stuff that is really good to eat.

    EDIT to add that I found a lady on you tube The Posh Paper Lady who gives good ideas of reusing stuff or making other stuff, I am looking at it to make existing Amazon boxes look pretty. I did that with one box although in my case, took a larger box, wrapped white tape around the Amazon box and inserted one of my pink fabric boxes in there. It does look nice. May look into that later.

    EDIT 2 Realized that I can take one half an english muffin, toast with garlic and shredded cheese on top and later on have the other half, melt butter while toasting, let cool and spread some of the peanut butter and cheerio mix on top. Planning to take the first meal, queso pasta bowl, split it in half and keep the other half in fridge and make a half english muffin with the garlic spread and some shredded cheese and eat that as a side. Just need to fill my tummy. I also have some STAGG chili, can use that for something but eat a lesser amount of it.

    .

  • shanagirl
    shanagirl Posts: 559

    @eleanora I hate when the scan radiologist just report “scattered Mets” on a stable scan. I want to know exactly where EACH met is scattered…, and I do have rib pain and some pain on a spine vertabrae. I have Mets on T 10& 11 I also have posterior Mets on ribs 5& 9 and I wonder if this is all kin do connected regarding some pain I get often. So I had my Rad today only 10 minute session. Out quickly thank goodness☺️

  • mara51506
    mara51506 Posts: 7,161
    edited November 17

    @mkestrel I am so sorry to hear about your bad scans and drug change to Trodelvy. EDIT, deleted unasked for advice re possible SE, should you have questions in the future. I am in your pocket lending moral support and a supportive ear. I am hoping there is a chance for you to get outdoors or even to the mountains.

  • mara51506
    mara51506 Posts: 7,161

    I was going to make chopped potatoes, eggs, beans and cheese. Decided to follow the KISS method of food, keep it simple stupid. Just opened the black beans, took 2/3 of a cup, dumped into my chopper with chips and cheese shreds had some chips in the beans and cheese chop, just to dry out and offer other flavour. Heated in a sprayed and buttered pan. Heated for a minute on high and then shut off to allow flavours to come together. I did also mix a bit of the cheesy seasoning from old elpaso and some of the mild taco and added some queso and sour cream as binders.

    I quite enjoyed the beans only meal, 2/3 cup was enough for the beans, shredded cheese and the few chips that went into the chop were good. Heating in the fry pan was the easiest. I put a small squirt of the sour cream and lime and a teeny squirt of queso and jalepeno.

    It was DELICIOUS and simple to make and will definitely do that kind of meal again. Although I did take digestive enzyme and immodium, the fiber did exactly as it should do. The beans do sit well with me just after supper and just as well now. Happy.

  • rlschaller
    rlschaller Posts: 728

    @eleanora sorry to read its time for a drug change, those are always hard to adjust to. I tend to switch drugs every couple of months lol. So can relate. I was on Trodelvy for a couple of months and had no bad SE. Every body is different of course, happy to answer any questions if that is helpful. ❤️❤️ hugs for the transition . The only certainty is the anticipated … sending joy for your mountains visioning or visiting.

  • irishlove
    irishlove Posts: 697

    @mkestrel Those mountains are calling your name. I know you'll be walking those paths in no time at all. Prayers for good results from your new treatment.

    @mara51506 Oh I'd hibernate if it was that cold when I lived in the mountains of Boone, NC. The wind seems to just go right thru a person. I wish I could just think up a good meal without too much fuss, but mine usually involves eggs.

    shanagirl, intothelight, cookie, eleanora, rlschaller, Saying hi and wishing all less pain and more playtime.

    In pockets for all your scans and needs.

    Mara, the chair isn't motorized. I don't think DH trusts me. lol. Haven't tried it yet.

    Some notes: I restarted Ibrance after 40 some days off. I prayed over the med as I took it, envisioning healing power. Took a peek at DH's blood test. His numbers are the same, so no chemo yet or with luck, no chemo at all. Pfizer sent their packet for patient assistance. It's lenghty (again) more negatives then positives in obtaining the assistance. So I called the "Angels" to make sure I wasn't dreaming about a voucher for Ibrance. I wasn't and the RN I spoke with had a good belly laugh. So happy to throw Pfizer papers away! DS is in the hospital, again, for pancreatitis, again. Spoke to his wife and she's on his patient portal to keep an eye on things. They transported him from Atrium Hospital (a huge hospital) because they did not have a room for him. He's at Mercy now. He doesn't see the specialist till Dec. 13th. Wish they'd move that date up…

    Irishlove

  • intolight
    intolight Posts: 2,832

    @irishlove Wow, that's a long wait time for your DS. I'll pray that they can move it up. I will pray for him, and for your Ibrance that it will work well with low SEs. I took it for four years and it did well for me.

    The cold is sneaking in with snow on Thursday. I am praying it is minimal as we have important medical appointments.

    Sending love and hugs.

  • mkestrel
    mkestrel Posts: 216

    @shanagirl thanks for kind thoughts and I hope you get to go see the babies asap

    @mara51506 thanks for your supportive ear.. I'm nervous about side effects but everyone responds differently so we'll see what happens. Enjoy whatever interesting meal you invent today

    @rischaller thanks for kind thoughts. So far I've been pretty tolerant of the treatments but I'm not looking forward to new side effects 😩

    @irishlove thanks for prayers and I will post pic of the mountains as soon as I can go..

  • eleanora
    eleanora Posts: 472

    @rlschaller

    Thanks for the kind thoughts, but I'm still on Kisquali, no drug change needed yet!

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