My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
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Grannax, It must be so scary for you with your DD having this condition. Some neurologists and neurosurgeons have the bedside manner of a gnat.
50's girl, I do not need to travel to Boston for treatment as we have two excellent medical centers in Portland, about 30 miles South of where I live.
Gracie, I have tolerated my first two sets of Falsodex very well. My nurse is superb. I lean onto the exam table on both elbows and put one foot at a time up on the exam table step. Very comfortable posture, and I put my thoughts elsewhere or talk with my nurse. My bum just feels bruised after, but it's very tolerable.
Last night was an interesting one for me. My DH is out of town visiting his 96 yr old Dad. I needed to transport my DD to an orientation for a college program she is entering. My eight year old grandson came along, as DH was not home. Anyway, it was freezing, and dark and rush hour, and I swear half of Boston has moved up to Portland! The community college is off one of the busiest avenues, we had never been there! UGH! Anyway, we made it, dropped her off and headed to one of our favorite places for a bite. We kind of rushed through the meal, and made it back to get her. Very convoluted route.
The reason this is so significant is that my 32 yr old DD is going back to school! She graduated salutatorian of her class of 300, but in the spring of her junior year she became seriously ill with an eating disorder. For the next 13 years, she struggled with it, as well as alcoholism, narcotics addiction, and compulsive shoplifting. She has been in solid recovery for over two years, but I am here to tell you, IT WAS A FIGHT. I am so proud of her- not many people make it out of this alive. So, despite the conditions being a little dicey, it turned out to be a really positive experience for her. My grandson was a total trooper and we rode home happily in a warm car with Christmas music!
Of course, I completely detest MBC and wish it to disappear in to the abyss of hell, but it is easier for me than having my daughter afflicted with what she has had.
Posting some photos of Christmas at our house.... Love to each, may the force be with you MJH
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MJH~ Before I drool all over your decorating skills! I want to congratulate you on your daughters success, you're so correct, addiction is the ugliest beast ever! I wish her nothing but happiness and success in her future and school as well. I hope the hard part of her life has been lived! What a great mother to keep that unconditional love alive! That is such a great thing to hear. That alone is such a gift for your family. I am thrilled for you proud mother! 🤗
Those trees are amazing. I love them. I have another tree I want to photo as well but it was too dark last night but honestlythose are wonderful! It's so interesting how people decorate differently! That is the beauty in it for me. Thank you so very much for sharing with us! Love it! Would love to see More! It makes me feel like we are all sitting By the tree enjoying our drink of choice! Big hugs ~M~
Seeing that gingerbread house has made me very hungry! Adorable reindeer. I miss my kids being younger and wanting to do that stuff with me. Now I have to pay them to sit with me. Lol jk. But sometimes I think it does seem like that!
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MJH and Micmel. Thank you for understanding. I totally agree I would rather deal with any health issue than watch watch my children go through heartbreaking health or addiction issues. That's what Moms do. I'm so glad for you and her that your DD is on a healthy path. Recovery, tragically, is not the norm in our society today. I wish the best for her.
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Thanks everybody !
First two Faslodex are history. Had a great nurse and I am really good tonight!! Woohoo
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Gracie, I am so relieved that those shots are in the history books. It's great to hear that you're feeling good! Yay! Big hugs to you my friend! ~M~
Grannax~Thinking about you and your DD tonight. Sending thoughts of strength!
Hugs!! ~M~
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Hugs back Mel
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hi, can anyone explain to me the Doppler heart eco? What is a good percentage? Anyone? Thanks
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good morning Minnie, the test you're talking about is basically a heart ultra sound, they want to see ,by bouncing some sounds off of your heart to see how it responds. when the heart receives the high frequency sounds , it bounces back from your heart to present pictures to the ultra sound technician,that will allow them to see if the blood flow in your arteries and heart is adequate! They can see how well the heart is pumping blood and if any blood clots or additional problems are detected. Also the blood flow and rate will be monitored. It will also check the size of your heart. if you are having chemo, they usually Check To see how it's handling the chemo! This is a painless test! I will be thinking of you! I am hoping you're fast asleep right now! Much love ~M~ I basically believe that the ranges are based on your body size, gender and prior baseline projections. Your doctor is the only one that knows what parameters are for you and what he is looking for!
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Gracie~I am thinking of you and hoping that you are still feeling good and those shots have NO side effects! Much love my friend 💕🌹. ~M~
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.....this is my baby having a cuddle with his brother ! Have good painless day!! Much love ~M~0 -
Woke up to the temp of 5 degrees. As the Christmas song goes "Baby it's Cold Outside". I have my chemo treatment today. At least I will be hopefully done with my "hell" week for Christmas. I really don't want to go outside to get to my appointment though. My husband is picking me up and will stay with me (as he always does). He brings his work laptop and just works while I'm there. I bring a book to read. We got out of there in 2 1/2 hours last time, much better than the 4 from the time before. The actually steroids and chemo only take 2 hours total. It's waiting for the Physician Assistant that takes so long.
Grannax-I'm glad your daughter got good results. My best friend has had MS since she was 28, right after her second child. She was doing great on the meds up until last year. She not only can't waik anymore, she can't even get herself out of the wheelchair, and has a hard time talking and can't use her right (dominant) hand. It's so sad. I have a hard time understanding her, so I don't call her. We do get together every couple of months though. She's 54 now. Horrible disease!
I hope everyone is having a good day!
Lynne
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Good Morning everyone! Well yesterday has come and gone. It was a double edge sword. First let me say that the NP who came to the holding area to education and get my signature for the procedure and blood explained that because of where the tumors where located on my liver there was a high probability that they may have to go through the lower part of the lung to get to the tumor. WOW, ok.
Then it was time for the procedure. I was on the table and received a light amount of the conscience sedation medication, my abdomen was prepped, and everyone in the room introduced themselves. There are several IRs in the room. We start with an ultra sound. IR states that we can't visualize the tumors which was not surprising since the tumors are on one of the interior lobes. He stated that he wanted to see if we could do this under ultra sound first because it is the least invasive.
Next we do a CT scan. Still can't visualize the tumors. The IR states we are going to try the dye but once we start the procedure they are going to have to work very quickly due to the rapid cannibalization of the dye. So we proceed to inject the dye and then run the CT scan. You guessed it, they can't visualize the tumors. This all results in no biopsy.
The IRs were so excited and asked how long I had been on Xeloda. When I told them I was just finishing the 2nd round they really were excited and told me Merry Christmas you have tumors that have shrunk to the point that they can't be visualize. My last scan was the 19th of November and the tumors were definitely visible at that point which means in 4 weeks the tumors shrunk. He also assured me that they are their for me if those tumors start to misbehave sometime in the future and he stated he hoped that was an extremely long time down the road. He again wished me a Merry Christmas and much joy in the news.
I came home and slept most of the day. I did not even want to get up this morning. Lazy bones!
Thank you all for your well wishes. I hope you all are doing well this morning. All of the Christmas and snow photos are simply beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing. They warm my heart.
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NO1~Now that is what I call a Christmas present 🤗 I am so happy for your news I have a tear running out of my eye. That's just awesome. You deserve it!!! We were all hoping and waiting to hear everything was alright. This is way better than imagined! Especially for you! Good thoughts and strength sometimes does work ! 😉 Much love and big hugs and cudos to your team for being careful and thorough!!~M~. Take a deep breath and be happy, your meds my friend are working! ~M~
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Lynne~ I thought our temperatures were brutal. Yuck!!! I also would not want to go out in that either. I haven't gone out in days because it's been like 19. I hate it !!! I am sending good thoughts that the chemo is in and out for you my friend and you are home resting in your favorite spot! I am so thankful you have your wonderful DH! The care givers are sooo important. Be safe and stay warm. One more chemo out of the way! Hugs for you sweet woman! Much love ~M~
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No1, I am so very excited about your good news! YAY! WOOHOO! What a wonderful Christmas gift, and so unexpected. I hope that Xeloda works against your mets for a very long time. Go ahead and be lazy. You have earned that right. WOOHOO!
Gracie, I am glad that your first round of shots went well. I definitely agree that the nurse administering the injections plays a big part in determining whether or not we will feel pain.
MJH, The photos are beautiful. Thank you for posting. The trees give off a feeling of warmth and charm. The gingerbread house, well what can I say, yummy! It is quite pretty and festive. You and your dd have certainly been through a lot. Your dd must be a strong and courageous woman, and so are you. I know that it is heart-wrenching to see our children go through painful, difficult, and sometimes even self-destructive situations. It can make us feel helpless as parents. You and your daughter have much to be proud of and celebrate.
Lynne, I hope the next week is better than most of your post-chemo weeks have been. I am not enjoying this cold snap any more than you are.
Hugs and prayers to all from, Lynne (the other one)
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Thanks everyone! Feeling pretty normal this morning...slight headache, due to not sleeping (tiny little chest pains which I am sure came from anxiety!). But other than that...pretty good! Now I’m just hoping this med works!!!
Mel, I love the pictures!
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50's~ you are always so supportive and kind in your posts. You're a special woman. I hope you get told that enough.
Gracie~ so thankful you're feeling pretty darn good after your first round of shots. Will this be monthly ? I haven't been on falsodex so I honestly do not know.! So thankful you're ok.
Claudia ~. Ok officially worried! 😞 Nan as well.
Mae? You doing ok too darling. ? fall asleep over the puzzle?
Waving hello to Keetmom! Hugs to those special girls. Hope you're feeling well.
Much love to you guys! ~M~
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ok I am exhausted! Spent the morning at target trying to finish up everything I had to do. We went early enough that it was relatively empty. On our way out it was crazy. From there to the bank, then to cvs. And now I am home and exhausted!! I still have to begin wrapping. But I feel anyone opens my DHs closet, may be covered in bags and packages and candy. Lol. My hound dog got into my DDs gifts for the dogs yesterday (a sack of coal treats he would get Christmas Day anyway) we managed to save it because of my DD's significant other. He got it loose! Good kid. He went with me to target. lol helped me with everything. He is a darling. Part of our family. I am so happy I was able to also receive good news this time as well. I am actually looking forward to Christmas. Been so busy I haven't seen my grand puppy! 😞
I am really worried about Claudia, I feel helpless to know she's ok.
I saw someone who I used to go to the gym with, and she isn't going now either. She needs a full hip replacement, but it's almost like people get scared to talk to you, like you'll break apart and disappear if they say anything to you. So I got the ohh so are you better? I said I am in remission. How long that lasts I do not know. She got clearly uncomfortable when I told her I was never going to be done treatment. all of a sudden she had to go quickly like I was contagious. So odd behavior. Just be normal. I haven't changed. It sucks yeah. But I am still the same person. Oh well. Life as a cancer patient. I guess. Have a great Friday everyone! Much love and hugs ~M~
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Yay Gracie, glad to see you getting a new plan underway.
Minnie, if you’re referring to the ejection fraction rate (LVEF, I think) from an echocardiogram, it measures the rate at which your heart pumps blood back out to the body, normal is roughly 60-65% but it does fluctuate some and Herceptin for HER2+ BC can lower it. Mine started normal but dropped to 53% during chemo, then back up to 58% after, I get them every 3-4 months.
Great pics MJH!
Micmel, I think I saw Claudia on bone mets recently, wasn’t she getting ready to pack or travel soon? I am concerned about Nan too, it’s been a while since she’s been seen on BCO.
I took a couple days off the puzzle, had parties instead, lots of holiday and retirement stuff. I’m heading down to my office party now, dressed up in my punk rock plaid pants which double as Christmas wear, well, I’m off to get some snacks!
Darn lighting wouldn’t let me get a normal pic of the outfit, so I combined them. These are my most favorite shoes in the world right now, btw
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Mae,hi there darling! I love the Christmas outfit choice! Looks comfortable To me, the shoes look especially comfortable, that's a big deal as we all know. You have very lovely green eyes. Rare color. Really pops with the red in your out fit. You look great. I still can't believe you work. Man your tough! I hope Claudia Is ok. Maybe she just took a break. I can't remember, when she Is traveling, sometimes I think my mind isn't as sharp as it used to be. It's snowing here right now again. Unreal. three days this week! Freezing temperatures for sure! So good to see you here! Have fun at all the parties. As you always seem to! It's great. I wish we all could get together. Hugs to you my friend. I hope I get a puzzle for xmas. Much love ~M~ I have a closet to wrap. .......HELPME! Lol be safe.
Our northeast ladies ....stay warm. Keetmom also.
Waving hi to Tanya! Yay NO1! 🍾🙌🙏🤗
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illimae thanks for that. I was 61% then dropped to 57 back to 59. So dropped again and no treatment which includes herceptin. So I get a break till 24 January, so will make the most of it. NO1 glad you had good news after all the time spent trying to find those tumours! I love those pictures of Christmas trees. Mine is a tiny little 2 foot tree with lights. As it's only the 2 of us here, and not even here for Christmas, not worth making a lot of fuss. A few outdoor lights too. Just to let you all know while you are freezing out there, we have a very pleasant 18 degrees Celsius here in Spain. Micmel I know what you mean about people not knowing how to look you straight in the eye. I want to shout Hey, it's still me, I have cancer, but my brain is still the same, I still can laugh, I am still the same person!!!! DH is snoring beside me, keep warm and well my on line amigos. Good night x
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Minnie~Lol I love that online amigos!! That is so fitting. Adorable ! I call the tree you're mentioning a Charlie Brown tree. We have one of those also. We put our Christmas gifts that everyone opens Christmas Eve! Under that tree and we sit around it together! Traditions. What can I say!! lol I can't wait for bed I am exhausted. I wrapped some presents this evening. I am going to have to pace myself! Rest well friends. Much love ~M~
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NO1-So happy for your good news! What an awesome Christmas present.
Gracie-Glad your first shots went well.
My chemo went well today. Only 3 hours, waited around for lab results this time. We then stopped for a bite on the way home, and when I got home around 2:30, I opened the fridge to get an ice pack. There was a major meltdown happening in there. You guessed it, we went right back out to look for a new fridge. After going to 3 stores, we are getting one delivered tomorrow. All of the food is in coolers on the back deck. We will be bringing the refridgerator stuff back in and leaving it in th cooler so it does freeze out there in the teens tonight. Merry Christmas to us! Not the kind of present I like to get, but it's needed.
Exhausted from this long day. Sleep well everyone!
Lynne
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Thank you Mel forr the warm wishes . I read every night all the posts and and they lift me up, give me hope and make me feel that I am not alone in this fight. You all are so smart and I need to learn a lot from you.
I wil be very busy this days, because we expect any moment my daughter to have a baby. My second grandson!! I am so excited that sometimes I forget about this horrible deasis.
I wish to all of you, wonderful ladies, Happy holidays and God bless
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Lynne(Man)so glad chemo went well for you and that you're done this week! Now you can get your few days of feeling yucky out of your system and feel even better. How is that cold ? That Refrigerator thing stinks really bad right before Christmas. I might have to cry real tears if that happened the same day of chemo, and how awesome for you, next day delivery. Way to go!! I hope you enjoy your new fridge. Nothing like a new appliance to cost a fortune. But like you said. You gotta have it ! Hugs and get some rest! Much love ~M~
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Blue~ Hi there and welcome back!😊 We try to support each other and build a place where we can share the good or bad ! Whatever support is needed, someone somewhere can have different views that can help even just one person. I am so pleased to hear that you read the posts often, and that they help you even a little, that is why we started thins thread. I say we, because without you all, there would be no thread. Just me rambling on about nothing lol. Congrats on the awaited delivery of a beautiful grandchild! That would be music to my ears!!! As long as they all went home at the end of the night. I have to have my sleep, or I am not good at aall! Stay sweet and see you soon! Hugs to you!! ~M~
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I wanted to share something beautiful. My DH is in Washington DC tonight with his son waiting for him to finish at a musical concert in Washington. So he is walking around taking magnificent photos of the area and the national Christmas tree. Oh how i wish I was with him. But I wanted to share what he shared with me.
....this is our National American Christmas Tree. It's beautiful! 0
