My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
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BevJen, sorry to hear that your husband is not looking after his disease by eating properly. So many bad results can come from that and he will probably not let you look after it for him (which should not be required. I can empathize with the frustration for sure.
In my own case, someone came to look at my oven. Supposedly the oven is not broken, he scraped what he said was melted plastic. Was my first time using the stove so was surprised by that. Trying to speed clean the oven by putting in a pan of water to steam and moisturize the oven. I already put a baking soda paste on it. Leaving the door closed so it does not set off the smoke alarm again as I tested it out to see if it worked better after he left. If I cannot get the messy looking spots out, may resort to easy off after that. I would like to get the oven working. I think it is scorched stuff of some sort. Been scraping the racks as well. My SIL suggested easy off but resistant to that because it really stinks and the apartment is so small. Think for now, I am going to give up since I am tired of scraping and having my smoke alarm sound off constantly. The apartment really stinks too. Not a good day.
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Discovered that with a wire brush and my clothing steamer, I could get some stuff off the oven racks with a wire brush. Decided to go all in for an actual household steamer that as a brush attachment to attack the stove. If that does not remove the stink from the oven or the smoke, then I will try easy off. Tried the natural hacks but nothing. The other option is to do the baking soda paste, spray with vinegar and still go over it with the more powerfu steamer. If all of that fails, will try easy off. As you can tell, this is my least favourite option so will try it last. Let you know after I receive my steamer tomorrow.
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Mara: Here's an easy way to clean oven racks. You can buy Easyoff that is odorless, place the racks in a large heavy duty leaf or garbage bag, spray them and close the bag tightly. Allow them to sit overnight or longer and you can then rinse them off and they will be clean without all the scrubbing. If there is any residual debris, most will come off with a brillo pad. Beats all the scrubbing you are doing.
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Ok, big news!
I am changing treatment to the Herceptin, Xeloda, Tukysa combo, not due to progression but voluntary. If Xeloda becomes a SE problem, I can reduce the dose or drop it, I can also go back to my first line H&P, if I want to. Also, bombshell, I will stop tamoxifen! MO feels my cancer is driven primarily by the HER2+ and since my body is good, we should focus on the brain (Tukysa shows significant overall survival and progression free survival benefits for brain mets). Stopping tamoxifen has me super excited because blocking estrogen made my knee joints hurt, made me bitchy and killed my sex drive.
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Mae- Glad you are doing a treatment that you are "stoked" about. Hope all goes well and the cancer is knocked back and you feel ok with the meds. Hugs.
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awesome Mae! I’m glad the news was something you’re way ok with! Sending virtual hugs!
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Mae, Sounds like some very good news out of your MO appointment today. Congrats on getting off of Tamoxifen. I have similar symptoms with Letrozole but it’s doing it’s job so no changes for me. I hope the new meds are effective and easy for you. You need to celebrate somehow!
I met my new MO today and she really boosted my outlook. First, because she said she wasn’t sure what to focus my treatment on because my scans show I’ve been NEAD for quite a while. My previous MO had never used that term, but seemed to remind me at each appointment that although things looked good I still had a terminal disease. I’ll be scanning with CT every 4 months, which is what I had been doing already. That puts me in November, which is also when I’ll see her again to go over the scans. She ordered a dexa scan to check bone density, which I’m interested in knowing. Letrozole can cause bone loss, so I’m hoping it’s not at osteoporosis already. Lots of other discussion too. So as content as I was with my first MO, I feel more content with my new MO. Good day for me, and even Cracker Barrel for a late lunch cuz it was nearby and I like meatloaf, lol.
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Bev, I understand your frustration. When I watch my kid eating poorly and doing other unhealthy things, as if I never taught them anything, I want to yell, “Here I am doing everything I can to stay alive and healthy, and you, currently young and healthy, won’t do what you can?!”
I have been thinking of you today, and hoping you get good scan results. I have labs, onc visit, and infusion today. Waiting for tumor marker results.
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Mara, I am concerned about you in those plastic fumes.
Illimae, great plan! I like it.
Rosie, that’s great about your new MO. And lunch.
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I agree Shetland Pony. I have not tried to do much today other than steaming with my existing steamer which is more an iron than anything else. I will be getting a more powerful one tomorrow and I already have a wire brush. If the stuff does not come off, I will have to try easy off as suggested before. I have not turned the overn on since finding it still set off the smoke detector. I don't mind picking up the heavier duty steamer that has high speed steam for cleaning. If that does not get stuff off, I don't believe anything will to be honest. It is such a PIA I must say.
Mae, I too am glad you are excited about your treatment change and glad to hear the combo can help the brain.
Rosie, I echo SP in saying I am glad you like the MO and that the news was good enough to rate a nice lunch.
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Rosie- Woohoo on the good MO visit. And Cracker Barrel is my favorite place to eat---though I have not been there in over a year. Chicken and dumplings and Coke a cola cake with ice cream. Remind us of the Nov scans when they get closer.
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Mae~Your masks should be arriving!
santa~I have your masks selected and in the box Have to address it and mail it. I didn't forget. Had some new fabrics I was working on. One was a peachy color. Wanted to include it for you 😃🤗!Waving hello to Shetland. 🤗
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Mel --
Love the picture! You and your daughter DO look a lot alike!
SP --
Thanks for thinking of me. I actually had a great visit with my MO today -- but no MRI results yet from LAST FRIDAY. She was really befuddled by that and was trying to track it down. We think that someone my IR messed with the read of the scan or something. Also, I had my blood work done late today, so when I met with the MO, we didn't have anything tangible to look at -- no labs, no tumor markers, no MRI of my liver. But we had a good conversation anyway, and so I consider that a good visit.
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Mea, glad to hear your happy with the treatment change. I took tamoxifen many years ago and I remember the crappy SEs. I was glad when I no longer had to take it.
Rosie, good to hear you like your new MO. It makes a hugh difference when your MO is positive.
BevJen, I hope you get good news from your MO.
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BevJen, hoping the same for positve news from your MO.
Mel, you and your daughter definitely resemble each other. Both lovely ladies.
I added my picture to my avatar as I have never shown an avatar picture, thought it was about time after five years. The picture I am showing was of my mother in the 60s. She was training as a lab technologist and was travelling to Europe to work for a while. At the time, her parents disowned her for not getting married. She was an independent woman and went anyway. Always felt proud of her for that. I have been told I resemble her quite a bit and I take that as a complement because she was always lovely in my eyes.
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love the pic Mara!!!! Very nice. And yes your mother definitely was a beauty. She has very intense eyes. What an attribute... I think you got those eyes Love it.
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Mara you look so much like your mother. What a beautiful woman.
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Mara, Lovely pics of you and your mother. I agree that you resemble her. I also like that was so independent at a time where it was uncommon.
BevJen, That’s very strange that you still couldn’t get your mri results. Someone messed up 🙁. Wishing good news when they finally show up.
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BevJen, sorry you did not get your MRI results after waiting for them. The waiting is hard enough, but if you expect them at a certain time, the stressload is worse if they are not there. Still in your pocket for the results.
Thanks for saying that everyone. She never liked that picture since she had to take her glasses off and look serious for the passport but she was a lovely lady, inside and out. Best mother I could have had.
I have been walking like crazy this morning, did 60 mins on treadmill and 30 mins around the block before breakfast (to burn my own energy first), ate breakfast and decided to walk again. Since I am waiting for various packages, I just walked up and down my own street for two reasons. Waiting for the packages was number one but also, just in case my spurt of energy fizzled, I am already close to home, just set an alarm for 30 mins. Taking advantage of the nice cool weather.
I am waiting for a powerful steamer to come so I can tackle the stove today. I want to try that before ordering the easy off from amazon. My local hardware stores are sold out but I believe that if this stuff would not loosen with my wire brush and steamer, I am skeptical that easy off would have more luck though I will try it. If I cannot get the stuff out, property management will have to do something for me. I am also waiting for a bigger bucket from home depot for my clip on washer. Too much water was being dumped out of the 2 gallon so I ordered a 5 gallon bucket and lid. It would be nice to wash two loads at the same time and that clip on washer is quite amazing.
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Hello all.
Lovely pics Mel and Mara.
Sorry Bev that you could not get your scan results. Frustrating.
I am scheduled for my CT Sept 28. Noticed I still have not received my letter from insurance about the prior auth for the test--- I get a copy of the letter each time. So I called insurance. No auth submitted yet. They say they have the right to 10 business days for the determination. So, I have call placed to MO office. Hope they get on the ball and I do not have to cancel appt.
Did my CBC this morning--- waiting on results.
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Candy in your pocket while you are waiting for the MO office to get what you need to send to your insurance. Scans can be disconcerting enough without complications getting in there. Good luck with the CBC.
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Mel, I must have missed the pic of your daughter.
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Mel & Mara, nice to "see" you both in your new avatars.
Mara, nice you had such a strong, independent mother esp in those days. I did as well.
BevJen, so frustrating to not have scan results and hope your MO can track them down quickly.
Rosie, glad you now have a positive MO and you had a good meeting.
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Mae, glad you are good with the new treatment. Here's to Tukysa working on those brain Mets. Good news, too, to get off Tamoxifen.
Candy, hoping for good CBC results.
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Simone ~
this is my daughter. And her dh 0 -
Nice pictures Mel, a very handsome couple.
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what a beautiful couple! You and your daughter look a lot alike.
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Cute DD, Mel.
So, I got my CBC results--- ANC 900 at end of week 2 of the new Ibrance schedule of on 5 days/ off 2 days. WHOOPIE!!!!!! MO oked continuing cycle with anything over 800. So I start week 3 of cycle 33 tomorrow.
MO nurse said pre-cert team has not done cert yet for CT scheduled the 28th. Hope I get the ok from insurance BEFORE the 28th or I guess I will have to cancel appt. Sigh..... My old facility would not let me make CT appt until AFTER the ok from insurance. Always something.
How about you guys??? Do you have ok from insurance before your scans/procedures? I think people think I stress too much, but I do not want a $7,000 bill for a scan if insurance would deny for some reason. So I want assurance BEFORE doing the test. Do you guys just trust your facility to have their sh** together, or do you call for verification before scans or big ticket procedures?
I have texted an old friend twice lately--in the last month. I have not talked to her since before Covid-- beginning of the year. Today she finally called me back. We got caught up. She retired July 1. She is thinking of going back to work a couple of days a week. ??? Guess she is bored. Anyway... we got to talking about the virus of course. She said her life has not really changed--- she still gets out and about and does what she wants. I told her my life was way different. That I watch church service online, do grocery shopping online, stay in my house. She is a no-masker, "my rights" person. Media inflating numbers. Etc. etc. Then we got into discussing the nursing home people dying from Covid. And my cancer situation. I get the feeling she thinks the elderly and compromised people are going to die anyway. I don't think she wishes illness on me or others, but if we get it, oh well. Sometimes I think people just want me and the elderly and sick to just go live on an island together and leave them alone to do as they want. Life is sure different anymore. She used to be a good friend.
I feel like my circle of friends/acquaintances is getting smaller and smaller. Just kind of like I am being forgotten as I stay in my house.
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Candy, my scans, infusions and procedures are all approved first. However, they are also booked well ahead of time, so it almost never causes concern. Even now, I see appointments scheduled through September 2021. I don’t know if MDA must do that for efficiency and patient volume or if it’s my MO preference to get everything set up first and make changes later, if necessary.
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Candy, I can go to my insurance website and see the list of precertifications and when they are approved. Does your insurance company have a portal you can go and look for precertifications?
I’m sorry your friend was so insensitive.
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