My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
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Laurie - yay for your good news!!!!
my quick update -
-i did develop a raging UTI between Sat and the first little zings, which just came & went, & I upped my fluids & drank my cranberry juice & hoped...but Tues night overnight I knew it was bad. Luckily, I had my MO and clinical trial nurse appt on Wed morning & labs ahead of seeing them, so I called them & asked to add urine tests. Got put on an antibiotic which took 24h to work so that first 24 I was still in a lot of discomfort. I can report that a gel icepack on your crotch (wrapped in fabric of course) while it doesn't actually take away the pain, it provides enough distraction that you can bear it for a bit ... lol
lots of other small medical crap going on. going in for 2 units of RBCs on Sunday because my hemoglobin is in the gutter. But had my chemo on Thurs . First scans since starting treatment will be on May 11. Far enough away that I'm not really anxious yet.
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Moth~They are so uncomfortable. I don’t know how you went even 24 hours. I hate that feeling. It’s one of the worst. I remember with my surgeries the foley would irritate me and they would want it out ASAP. Which meant I had to get up. But it’s very difficult to lay while peeing. Gravity is our friend. And never mind that damn spot potty. That plastic rim hurts my ass. I mean Yowl. I don’t know what size ass they made those things for. Clearly heidi Klume and not me! Small ass things. What do they think. And why the open backed gown?. Really why? So my rear end can frighten unsuspecting visitors on the floor. My crack doesn’t need a viewing party!
Thank God you caught it! I hope you feel better.
Available for any pocket duty or entertainment any day this coming week. I’ll be here. Lol. Going out of my mind as we can see clearly. Lol
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Sondra, good for you for all the exercise, you go girl. I do know that the fatigue can sometimes just hit hard so you do just have to sleep sometimes. I tend to fall asleep randomly on the couch, usually in the middle of a tv show.
Tanya, waving hi to you. Good for you swimming, glad you have your own pool since it does work well with body pain. Glad to hear my little updates are fun to hear about. I just get excited over the smallest things.
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Micmel - did you ever get the 'shoe' urinal? It really is one of the best ones according to the patients I cared for. https://www.vernacare.com/our-products/products/vernafem-female-urinal/ I just remember thinking the first time I saw them that they looked like Dutch clogs or something. I was super lucky too that the first time I had to give it to someone, it was a super lovely chatty lady and I point blank said "have you used this before? because I've never seen this type before" (I was on a new unit & previously we just had those big plastic flat bowls which are so uncomfortable! And she just lit up and said "OH I'll teach you!" and she did a great demo lol
I always gave people a second gown to use as a robe if they wanted to get up. Dignity for everyone.
I was thinking about UTIs and how horrible they are - like when I get them i'm literally curled up in a ball imagining a hot poker up my lady parts - and wondering what the heck did women do in the past? And what do women now do in poor areas without health care? I mean not only is it painful, it can turn into kidney infection, sepsis and death... and all in that awful pain. Thank heavens for antibiotics.
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Boo Boo, that is awesome news. I did a happy dance for you.
Micmel, now with face masks being in vogue you could wear one, stuff it with tissues and just let your nose drip away! Hands free runny nose management. We should patent this.Moth, I've been to hell and back with UTIs and for pain my doc used to give me pyridium. It makes you pee bright orange. Hub used to take a tab them write his name in the snow. I am not kidding. (this was over 30 years ago!) It helps with some of that pain. For me it never hurt when I started to pee, but the last few drips were OH MY GOD - and the fever, always a fever. It was utter misery. And feeling like your bladder is full every 6 minutes and you pee out 7 drops of burning acid. Ugh. But...get some pyridium.
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Moth~I have never heard of that kind before. You odors are like an encyclopedia of knowledge. It’s impressive the things we learn as we go on. It’s life on steroids for us dealing with MBC.
I’m Up late again. Some Nights just don’t feel Tired. I lay in bed and think of all of things I would love to sit down in a restaurant and have. Seafood. A lot of it Clams lobster crab legs 🦀 lobster 🦞 soup. Crabbed stuffed mushrooms 🍄. 🍤 shrimp scampi, I am hankering for scallops as well. I love seafood. I could eat it for days I could have it with filet, I could have it with some pasta, I would have it hot, I would have it cold. I just want it. Lol. Cooking it home just isn’t the same. I need the baked potato and sour cream Okay I’m officially starving!
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Boo - that's awesome, and it sounds like between that and your new MO office, things are going your way!
Tanja - Are they really reopening the beaches in FL? That seems nuts!
Mel - Glad to hear that Philly is ok, if tired. I noticed she has logged on once in a while, but just isn't posting right now. I hope she feels better soon.
Allll sorts of excitement over here last night. I went out for my walk about 9 and decided to take a slightly wider route. Very quiet streets, I don't know if its because it was about to rain or what, but not many people out. I'm bopping along to my music, look over my left shoulder to cross the street and see a car way down at the other end. A few more steps, I've rounded a corner and was just thinking that perhaps for the section by the park I should take out my headphones (even though its well lit), when over the music I hear police sirens and "get out of the car! get out of the car! get out of the car!" Took out the headphones and turned around and there were three undercover cop cars blocking off another and a K9 unit rolling up. More yelling, the dogs started barking and man what a commotion! Since guns are illegal here and most cops don't carry them either, I moved to get a better look and it was like 10 cops taking out some guys dealing coke/weed out of their car and they had the dogs sniffing for anything hidden. There's a lot of tight alleyways in the area that make it hard to police for drugs and prostitution, but you can pretty much tell what is up if you walk the area enough. Nice to see a bit of a bust happening!
More house packing today for us, but otherwise taking it easy. Real easy.
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All,
Thanks so much for your well-wishes. I am going to start working on building my immune system so I can tackle it if I were to get the dreaded virus.
Mel, you crack me up (bedpan antics). I'll be on the lookout for one like that new one should I be hospitalized.
Waving hi to my Tanya. Will we ever get to have lunch together again? Good for you (swimming). Our pool water is too cold for me. It has to be 85 or above before I'll get in!
Sondra, no, they are not opening the beaches yet (I live in FL too). But they are dying to because of the hit this state is taking with tourism gone. I won't be surprised if they do reopen soon. Wouldn't shock me.
I hope you all have a good Saturday. I've been thinking about Mae too. Hoping you are getting better every day.
Boo
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Awesome news, Boo!! That’s so great that you can rest up and relax for a while now. 🌺
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Good Morning Ladies,
My dogs did better this morning but they both sat perched on my bed to see my selection of make up choices today. Maybe they'll approve of what I've chosen. I'd really like to know what they thinK of the things we do. Or say even. Another dreary day here and I have some banking to do The lines have been long long, since you can only go into the bank by appointment only. Only drive through is open.I don't feel like going anywhere. But at the same time don't want to be told I can't Such a mind bender.
Hello...Rosie....BooBoo.....Mara.....Runor...Santa....BevJen....Sondra......Candy......Philly thinking of you! Mae, on my Mind. Minnie, sweet Minnie! Tanya.... lol at you humor is my best friend, without laughter what's the point. ? My DD has the best sense of humor. She makes me laugh so much. I love seeing her. I miss her terribly. I want to hug her and hear her giggles and laughter. I want to see her and sit with her and watch our show's together. I also miss my second daughter (she's not blood, but should be) weekly we have dinner and a movie. I've missed the company and fun. It breaks up my long ass days. I'm Sure you all know what I mean. Another day of staring at myself. Although I'm Getting really good at skin care and hair care, and make up application. It's become a hobby. I enjoy the therapeutic feeling it gives me Shame everything wasn't so expensive ! have a good Saturday ladies !
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Morning everyone, Sondra, what a lot of excitement. Mel, good for you doing what makes you feel and look good.
I have not done much today. Waiting for DB to drop off a couple of groceries I forgot about. I was going to go myself but they called first so I decided to let them help out. Makes them feel better. I have just done basic housework, laundry and as a change of pace, just pacing up and down my street for a few laps. Don't really feel like walking but feel I need to keep up some activity. Just going up and down the street means if I get tired of doing, don't have so far to go to get home. Win/Win. About to go out again. Sitting makes me tired. Might have a nap after DB and SIL drop stuff off. Had a good lunch of black beans seasoned with onion, garlic and taco seasoning mixed together with cheese melted on top with queso and some tortilla chips. Big lunch but really good. Out of chocolate bars so am now going to eat chocolate pudding. So many less calories but still satisfies the chocolate craving.
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Booboo water is cold 🥶. I just psyche myself out and gracefully belly flop in. Really looking forward to our next lunch.
Tanya
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Moth: my total heart felt sympathies on the UTI. I had one that just would not go away. For months. I ran through several antibiotics only to get some relief but not a cure. I finally had a full analysis and it came up as proteus mirabilis (my DH said it sounded like the name of a Roman Centurion --- all Hail, Proteus Mirabilis, Hero of Germanica) It was a really nasty one, that. I didn't dare get out of a chair or leave the house without a pair of Depends on. I hope you are doing better. You are so right about "what did women do in the past?" When I watch"Outlander" I yell at the screen "Go back to the 20th Century, Briana. Flush toilets. Showers. Dentists. Tampons and - yes - antibiotics. I guess I am more practical than I am romantic. Hee hee.
To all you terrific ladies : stay safe!!
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Tanya,
You are a trouper! I just can’t do it. If I jumped into that water, the squealing would probably cause the neighbors to call the police, and the po-po near us are very cranky these days! God bless ‘um though. I have great respect for law enforcement. What they have to deal with is unbelievable!
Hi Mara, Rosie and Sondra...hope you are all having a decent day.
Mel, I think I’m going to nominate you for “The Real Housewives of Souderton”. Your onstage name can be Glamour Kitty!!! Lol.
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That would be quite a show. My un even boobs, my eyebrows dipping in different directions. My red lipstick to make me look ready to show my stuff! Some on my teeth. I’d probably film a half hour but and let them know I’ll be napping for three hours and I’d resume my primping upon waking up! What a deal that would be. Sign me up!
Hello Elderberry! Always lovely to see you visit our living room. It’s a chill outside today. Yuck. Hope all Is well with you and yours. You as well stay safe.
This too shall pass...
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Tanya, Laurie, I could not jump into cold water all at once either. Same thing, would be shrieking like crazy too.
Mel, I second the nomination for Glamour Kitty as well. I am sure you look lovely.
DB and SIL did bring me a couple of groceries and a big bar of chocolate. It is good. I actually managed to eat just a couple of rows and there is a great deal left. Going to see if I can eat the bar more slowly vs eat it all at once which was why I forbade buying them myself. I am going to exercise control and use a pudding as the chocolate fix. Way less calories. I will also probably walk up and down my street after dinner tonight as well. I don;t find it boring and like being close to home in case I get really tired for some reason. Woke up fatigued but pushed my arse out the door while waiting for the groceries to walk up and down my street a bunch of times. Came home, fell asleep and after the delivery, watched TV movie version of the Tommyknockers, some similarities to the book but very different to the ending. Still was not that bad.
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Mara,
What kind of chocolate is your favorite? When I used to travel, I would always bring back chocolates from different countries I was in. The choc. from Switzerland is pretty hard to beat. And the stuff here in the US does not hold a candle to choc. anywhere in Europe. Probably too many preservatives.
Mel, no one is going to ask you to strip down, girl. I’ll bet you could hold your own with some of those crazy bitches! I am sorry to say I got hooked on watching the RHW of Beverly Hills, New Jersey, and New York. I stopped watching New York this year once Bethany Frankel dropped out. My DH is horrified that I like these shows. It’s a good escape!
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Evening ladies, well bedtime here in Spain. Just been told our lockdown is being extended for another 2 weeks. Up to 8 May. When we see a light at the end of this tunnel I wonder. Hope all you ladies are taking care and staying safe. Night night x
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My UTI symptoms are all gone so - yipppeee! I'm just flopping around because my Hgb is so low (67 yesterday). Tomorrow I go in for 2 units of RBCs.
It's a beautiful day here. I was reading through my West Coast seed catalogue a few weeks ago, not really planning on planting this year but on a whim I ordered a packet of sunflowers. Dh is going to germinate them and then plant outside in a couple weeks and put one in a huge pot on the deck so I can see it from the bedroom window. I also want him to plant a huge row of them in the front garden (which is is all perennials and annuals - we don't have a lawn in the front at all). It will look very silly and will make people smile so that is a good thing. He also found a gardening place that is still open with social distancing and will get some hanging baskets for the house.
It's well over 20C in the south facing back garden. I'm feeling happy today so that's a really nice change.0 -
lol@Boo! Thank goodness. I don’t want to be responsible for any injuries of laughter. Stripping down. Lol you’re a trip. Watch whatever makes you happy. I watch some weird ass shit. Including sister wives. Love it! My dh looks at me and says. No thank you. Having one of you is enough. ThatS gross. I said I agree , it’s like the accident. You can’t take your eyes away. love all kind of crazy shows. Watching six feet under now. Love michael hall I think his name is. Great actor! Morbid kinda but loving loving frances Conrad. Wonderful actress.
Mara~ you and your chocolate. I love my cookies but try to stay away from Them, my ass begs me too.
Moth~Oh beautiful sunflowers. They have a very special meaning for me. My dh and I went to a sunflower field in Maryland the year before I was diagnosed. I was just starting to feel tired a lot and I remember taking my time and walking through this beautiful field while he took His pictures and I watched his happiness and contentment. We lost some of that That next winter. I’ll Never forget the way I felt seeing such natural Beauty. I got many flowers that day. They were magnificent. The day was also magnificent. Thank you for jogging that memory. When they blooM maybe you’ll share somePictures!?
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I enjoy Swiss milk chocolate. I got a big bar of the store brand which is good. Up there for me would be Lindt chocolates, very smooth and creamy. My other faves would be mint chocolate, hazelnut chocolate bars and finally milk chocolate with almonds. Always milk chocolate. Not a fan of dark chocolate.
Going to eat some chocolate now after my big dinner of beans, spinach, cheese and queso. Very hungry and may walk up and down my street some more. I napped on and off after the Tommyknockers movie. After done walking, will wash up clothes and go to bed I think.
Moth, glad you are happy. Nice and warm for you there. Not bad in ontario, got up to 10 and was sunny. Little windy but that was OK.
Mel, my ass begs me but my clothes are still fitting so I am not too worried.
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for sure, I will post pictures of the sunflowers when they bloom! What a beautiful memory you have of them!
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Thank you 🌻 very much. It’s one of my fondest memories watching him with his camera. Trying different shots While I chose my flowers. Oh yes you jogged a happy memory for me for sure. Thank you
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This thread is getting quite scandalous, what with people mooning the nurses in the drive-though and the visitors in the hospital, and stripping, and kissing the postman.
My cats don’t mind that I have given up makeup except for special occasions i.e. visits to the cancer center, and even then it’s only eye makeup above the mask.
I love the sunflower story, Mel, and I love that you will be growing sunflowers, moth! Today I finished planting a bed in front. I think it will be beautiful, lots of blues and purples. And for something like two hours I did not think about cancer or covid!
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My DD struck gold yesterday, finding not only toilet paper at the store but found the brand I prefer. Winning!! Also found Clorox wipes!! Now if she can find Lysol spray, it would be a trifecta.
Scary news is my cancer center reported staff members (several) and patients (fewer number) from a satellite oncology office tested positive for Covid-19. That’s way too close to home. Drats
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glad to hear that TP has come back to your area Dodgersgirl. I do like some things are able to be filled. Probably helps there are limits on items too.
I also can understand the trepidation hearing your centre has been affected. Though it is expected, it is disconcerting.
Not doing much of anything today. Need to wash bedding which will take all day as only one blanket at a time will fit in the portable washer. Almost makes me want two but that is excessive. I already have extensive laundry supplies.
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Hello all you wonderful ladies.
I am going to listen to my church service by phone--they have been streaming on Facebook, but I cannot find it. And I placed my grocery order online at Wal Mart this morning. Curbside pick up for Tuesday morning--48 hours. No TP or Lysol yet.
Yesterday I did a webinar about living with MBC during COVID. Interesting. Not too much new info though. One thing they said was if you are stable your scans may be cancelled due to COVID. I see my MO April 27 and due for 3 month scans in May. I will see what she says on if mine will be cancelled. I hope not. I want to monitor the cancer. Also they mentioned on the webinar that some treatments have been postponed too. I have not seen anyone on BCO post that theirs have been cancelled. I think this is too much. Yes, we need to be careful, but those that get treatments in the office need them. To cancel treatments is scary. The cancer can get out of control quickly and we need the treatments to kill the cancer. Weigh the risk of contracting COVID with the real possibility the cancer will kill.
I have been receiving emails about webinars from various groups. I thought what the heck, stuck inside so might as well. Wondering about OncLive. Is there a fee for their webinars?? I usually see the other groups are advertising free programs in this time we are living in now. I want the free ones.
Good to read all your posts--- Minnie, Mel, Mara, Shetland, Dodgers, Moth, Boo, Tanya, Elderberry, Rosie, Sondra, Runor. And everyone else.
I don't know what I would do without you all.
Hugs.
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Candy~ you’re such a sweetheart and I don’t know what I would do without all of you either. I would go Crazy. It helps me get through my day knowing you’re all out there and we are fighting together as a team! All of these amazing ladies bye our side. Family almost !!
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hugs to you Candy, we could not do it all by ourselves and love to be here.
I am doing a weird thing with laundry. I almost bought myself a tiny agitator for laundry that would attach to a bucket if I want to wash things like a t-shirt or my hankerchiefs etc. It was over a hundred dollars. I stopped myself thankfully and wondered what i could use instead. Then BAM, thought, what if I use my old salad spinner that I do not use for food any more. Soaking my hankies in there with some detergent and oxyclean and spinning them to agitate everyone once in a while. Going to see how they turn out. Figure this may be a good idea to employ as an extra little washing machine when doing blankets and it is tied up. Let you know how it goes. So far, it seems to work. We will see.
Edited to add, I like the fact that I am forced to keep my dishes washed as well since the sink is where the spinner is. No room anywhere else for it. Also, it is a push mechanism so not hard on my wrists. We will see how the look by end of day when blankets are finally done, hate blanket day.
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The pharmacist at my cancer center told me that canceling lab work and scans has been so far up to the individual doctor. My doctor has decided to be more stringent on this so I will be getting CT and nuclear bone scan in early May. I went in for labs about ten days ago and then found out that an employee at the cancer center had been confirmed. So that's a little scary.
Being home is something i'm used to but I'm missing contact with my kids, grandkids and friends. And I'd love to just go for a drive or something. Yesterday my daughter-in-law stopped over and she sat in her car near the window where I was sitting in my chair. I opened the window a bit and we had a nice visit together. It was SO nice to see her!
Gabapentin and medical marijuana have helped my back pain quite a bit. I take very small amounts of MM because I do not like the feeling of being high (it gives me anxiety). The gabapentin is good but I'm titrating that up very very slowly becuase it makes me sleepy. So far I'd say it doesn't take care of all the pain and i still need an Advil or Tylenol at night but I'll wait until I'm up to the full dose to decide how well it's working. It has taken away the worst of the pain in my back. For the I am grateful! Now if I could just get RID of the SE's from Aromasin I would be a happy camper.
Not sure what we're doing today. I'm hoping a little yard work because the sun's out and it's 55 degrees. Come ON spring!
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