Starting chemo April 2023
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biopsies & markers done!
Iamnobird- they took A LOT of biopsies of the “other” left breast- maybe 18 samples? I am thrilled after your story & am so glad even tho I’m planning on a bilateral mastectomy. The surgeon wants to know what’s happening on that side in case there’s cancer & it has moved to the lymph nodes.
How are you feeling today?Fingers crossed for Njdogmom!
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I’ve been really good today, but am exhausted now. I went to the grocery store this morning. Then for a long walk with a friend and her baby to see the cherry blossom trees in a park near the house. The weather is so nice today. Sunny and warm. For Finland. The beach by the house had a bunch of folks laying out in bikinis. It is in the fifties today. It’s all relative, eh? 🤣🤣Then I was fairly busy with house stuff and dinner. So tired. It doesn’t take much. But otherwise really well.
That is good that they are being really thorough. Hopefully nothing is going on over on the other side and you can rest easy.
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Catm! Glad you are feeling okay and getting more boxes checked off today. Breast biopsies aren't fun but they're reasonably short in duration and recovery is just a couple of days with a good compression bra. The nurse provided one when I had the second biopsy and told me here's your new favorite bra style! Embrace it because it's going to embrace you!! 🤣 The only thing I wasn't used to was the front closure - otherwise just another sports bra in my humble opinion. Keep us posted on your biopsy recovery.
During my second biopsy they accidently removed my Ribbon marker from the first biopsy and repalced it with a barrel marker. I was annoyed. I liked the ribbon. As if it matters … 😎 It gives you some idea how small the markers are. They fit through the needle that they use to remove tumor tissue.
Notes from my Steroid Buzz - I'm thinking of making spanakopita tonight or tomorrow! We shall see! High in iron from the spinich, salty from the feta, green onions must have some health benefits. Olive oil. Thinking aloud that everything should be good.
Not sure about that blog but I like all the boxes it's checking.
They had carboplatin and my port was fine. Thankful for both! Carboplatin is being rounded down so that more patients who need it receive it. Mine is rounded down by 4%. I'm thankful that I'm getting that much. They did the final port flush with heparin at my request. I love the port and want to keep it functioning well.
Rash - we'll keep an eye on it and if it becomes an issue, we'll address it. Thinking back, I used fancy rather than plain moisturizer the other evening. I wonder if my skin is just being fussy. I was lazy - I left the aveeno downstairs so used Bum Bum cream. I love the smell which made me less inspired to go downstairs and get the aveeno baby.
Chemo buddy was upset that I was late. It was only by about 10 minutes. Her husband told me that if I were a guy, he'd be worried that something was going on between us given her affection for me. Made me feel good. Snacks went over well and we exchanged phone numbers. I text her funny notes during chemo - "They never sit us together because they know we'd be troublemakers! We'd laugh too loudly and disturb the other patients. We'd raid the snack bowl! We'd end up getting detention every week." I can hear her laughing from the other end of the infusion room. It's wonderful!! Really makes my heart sing!
Have you guys made chemo buddies yet?
Iamnobird - Night Zoo? You really are living the most fascinating life. Do you have a blog? I would love to read about your travels and the unusual things you found living in each of these countries.
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I almost forgot. The oncologist and I were having difficulty palping my tumor today. We couldn't find it! I'm sure I'll find it when I shower later this evening but it is for sure getting smaller. That makes me happy. I tried to negotiate my way out of phased 2 of chemo which is AC. No luck on that. 😄
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njdogmom: So glad all went well and that you have a friend. That sounds adorable. And so many congrats on the tumor shrinking! That is so great! I also keep trying to get out of the EC chemo, but to no avail. Well, my doctor said I can always make the call to only do the Paclitaxel and PHESGO, but he feels strongly that the EC would be better and yield more confidence in not having a recurrence. Which is what all this is about. Sigh. I do feel better going into it with you along for the ride. But it still scares the heck out of me. Especially as I feel that I am managing the weekly sessions pretty well right now. I have met another English speaking expat who has chemo on the same day and we swapped phone numbers. She has ovarian cancer. Her husband is American and lives in Dubai, but is now here caring for her while she goes through chemo. She is actually fasting before treatments and hasn’t had side effects. Interesting.
I definitely overdid it a bit yesterday so am going to relax more today. I do plan to sit in the sun in my porch swing a lot though. It is so gorgeous outside again today. It’s such a dramatic contrast to when my middle kiddo was here at Christmas. He won’t recognize the place 🤣.
This is funny. Eurovision is this weekend. It’s like a huge, super tacky European song contest in which amateur bands perform. Abba actually won Eurovision and become famous. It’s a big deal. I love it. My husband hates it. Ha. Anyways. Finland has a strong tacky entry this year. And they think they might actually win it. So this is is our central train station. For reference, watch about 10 seconds of the Finnish entry and you will know all you need to about Eurovision. Okay, you are welcome. Really 🤣🤣🤣.
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And, I have to whine a bit. Total TMI, but my period just came today. On the freaking chemo. Ugh! Such a pain and really, I need cramps and headaches and other stuff right now?! I kinda thought chemo meant the end of periods for me.
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I'm glad you're enjoying all that the local culture has to offer! The tacky stuff is often the best! I love the train station statues in costume. The Olympics of pop culture!! I'm curious if our radiation tattoos will look anything like the one the lead singer has on his breast. Hmmm.
Ugh on the period thing. My heart goes out to you. Dealing with chemo plus anything else at all is the worst! Take extra good care of yourself this week! Extra naps and extra chocolate! An extra glass of wine! Never TMI amongst friends. Has your ob/gyn given you any hint on roughly how far from menopause you are? I think they used to tell me based on a blood test for FSH (follicle stimulating hormone.) Post-menopause has it's own issues like stray hairs on the chin. I was hoping those would be the first to go in chemo but alas, they have not.
When I asked if I could skip round 2 of chemo if the tumor is gone after Round 1, my oncologist asked if I had finished chemo training. I was a bit surprised by that. Chemo training didn't provide any details about the difference between rounds 1 and 2, aside from the side effects being more harsh in round 2. Round 2 chemo for me is AC. Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Pembrolizumab (Keytruda.) Perhaps one of the reasons I was thinking it was possible was because of all of the drug trial training and information that had been provided. In the drug trial, if you have complete response after finishing the first or second round trial, you skip AC and go straight to surgery. My chemo training was really focused on managing side effects, avoiding infection and a fitting for the cold cap. I'm going to bring what I was provided during training to my next visit with the oncologist so that she can understand how much information I have about my current treatment plan. I found the details re: my chemo on this web site. I found it more useful than chemo training:
I'm in the midst of setting up time off from work. The fatigue and brain fog are making working very stressful. The nurses and my oncologist suggested that I consider it long before I started chemo. I've been using sick and vacation time to account for all of the days off thus far. I really wanted to keep working. I've been married to my job for all of my adult life. I need the health insurance and income to get through this. I'm neither old nor wealthy enough to retire. But the time has come. I need to rest and focus on healing. Frightening times.
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How are you feeling today catm? Sending post-chemo, post-biopsy hugs your way!!
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Any updates from @cancerian ? I hope chemo went well and that you are feeling good! Please let us know how you are! 🤗
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njdogmom: I am sorry that you have to discontinue work. That sounds like a really hard call and I can imagine how scary it is. I do think it will be good for you to have the extra time to rest and heal. It would be very stressful to have professional commitments during all of this. My obgym did an ultrasound at my annual exam and thought I would be in menopause soon. I had a very small amount of eggs left on each side. This one is likely to be my last according to my oncology nurse.
That is a bit of an annoying non answer with the chemo training. You sound prepared though and next time you can get more details on why going to surgery if you show PCR isn’t appropriate for you. I have heard that is that is often the way it is working now for HER2+ as well. In an ironic twist, because mine was small and undiscovered, I am getting the full works because I am apparently totally cancer free now and we can’t monitor response. I don’t like the answer, but I have acknowledged that it is probably the right call. At least I won’t doubt that I did everything possible if this were to come back. My EC is pretty much the same as AC, but with- Epirubicin
- Cyclophosphamide
It tends to be used more in Europe, but pretty much same deal as AC. I have yet to talk to anyone that didn’t find it pretty tough. I guess it hits the white blood cells hard a well. It’s just all around blech. But we can do what we need to, right? And maybe it won’t be as bad as I fear.
It is truly glorious weather here. We are going to grill our halloumi and sausages. And I might get crazy and have a glass of wine.
Catm: I am thinking of you and hoping that you are still feeling well.
@cancerian. Thinking of you as well and hoping that it is going okay.
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Hi gals!
Just got home to ATL last night and it has definitely been a “soft start” morning. I’m actually still in my pajamas and I’m not feeling particularly motivated to get out of them! I am definitely feeling really tired today, maybe a little queasy too but took an anti-nausea pill a bit ago. I think this also fits with how you both typically are feeling on day 3 after chemo?
I’m happy to be reunited with my fur babies. I also love watching all the beautiful birds at my feeders and was thrilled to see a hummingbird this morning! A most auspicious sign I hope!My #2 son also stopped by to say hello, so nice!
Ooof, Iamnobird, how awful to have a period on top of all of this! I am through menopause and haven’t had a period in years. I’m thankful for that! Speaking of other indignities, I got on my scale at home and I am puffed up like a big ole southern biscuit! It’s awful but I guess it’s the steroids and taco tree (also known as taxotere but chuckled over the auto correct, as certainly there has been a lot of Mexican food in Texas!)I love that you are both making chemo buddies. I was in a room by myself at MDA but I believe I’ll be in a room with others going forward in ATL. My next treatment is 5/31.
Loved learning about the euro sing-off and really enjoyed the decorated train station statues.I did some quick research but what is this AC/EC treatment? I def have chemo fog but is it a tough regimen, great if it can be avoided?
njdogmom: I can’t imagine trying to work while dealing with all of this. It’s a full time job unto itself, not to mention the chemo brain component. I was going to add something else but now I’ve forgotten, not kidding!
I’m ditching the Penguin Cold Caps. The whole thing is a PAIN but my son and I got a lot of laughs and mileage out of it, including picking up 85 lbs of dry ice the night before in a somewhat sketchy area. We needed to get buzzed in from the fence with barbed wire! I’ll go with Dignicap and hope for good results. My son said the Penguin Cold Capping was the most stressful thing of the entire experience!Oh and “Hellboy” is fun but definitely a fantasy type film.
I’m definitely a noodle today. I think I’m going to go lay down and watch TV.
Sending hugs!And Cancarian, I really hope you are doing ok after your first treatment.
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I'm glad you're home with your fur babies catm! They bring so much comfort and laughter.
Apologies for this Debbie Downer post.
Re: breast cancer and work - Full time job is an understatement! There's all the doctor appointments, self advocating to get mammograms, dealing with biopsies, MRIs, CT scans, PET scans etc. And chemo. The mental/emotional digestion of all of this information is a job too. And then there's researching all of the information given to us at each appointment so that we can ask reasonable questions and participate in the decision making. And on top of that, attending to all of the medical bills and insurance claims, Staying hydrated. Trying to cook a couple of times per week. I am so very tired. Exhausted. And while typing this, I'm having a long overdue good cry. It was a tough decision to take time off but I need to. I can't concentrate.
It's not at all unusual to be exhausted after chemo catm! And the brain fog … normal. We've just been kind of rolling with it and looking for silver linings.
I am so thankful to have you as friends. <3
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NJ: Please never worry about bringing up hard stuff. I am so sorry that you are struggling right now. And yeah, the medical stuff is a full time job in and of itself. It is okay to have hard times and to say, this really sucks. Some day we roll with it all easier than others.
Catm: I think that sounds like a totally normal reaction to chemo. And you have also had biopsies this week, which is also find stressful and exhausting. I hope you got lots of rest and feel better tomorrow. And chemo brain is a real thing. I put odd things in the refrigerator and forget things. All part of the fun apparently.
I am happy to have you both as friends along the way as well.
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Hi Iamnobird & Njdogmom,
I am thankful for both of your friendships & look forward to our regular checkins. I’m so glad I happened upon this forum & that Iamnobird started it.
njdogmom: I think a good cry was absolutely in order & understandable, & probably cathartic. I think it’s great to be positive but I also think it’s wonderful to be open about other feelings too- I was feeling a bit down today, and not feeling like doing much or having the energy to do anything.I find BC hard for lots of reasons (obviously) but losing my hair (probably) & losing my breasts (albeit probably temporarily before reconstruction) is pretty unsettling to me and my identity as a woman.
I think Njdogmom you are dealing with all of the BC issues & then you got another blow with having to take time off from work, a huge part of who you are. I am so sorry about that. It must be so hard for you to be processing this as well.
I’m happy to talk anytime but f that might be helpful? Im going to try to figure out how you did the private messaging.Sending hugs!
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Catm: Yes. So this. I hate so many things about breast cancer. And a I had a little clump of like 4-5 hairs just fall out last night. This terrified me. But listen, my reconstruction looks so good. I was lucky to wake up from the mastectomy with a breast. Yes, it was a big and long surgery, but it is amazing what they can do. I had the DIEP procedure and literally forget that the breast is a made up one most of the time. It is a bit smaller than the native one and needs an aerola tattoo (we didn’t save the nipple or aerola on the cancer side) but I am seriously so happy with it. I struggled with the whole thing because having such an intense surgery for reconstruction felt almost selfish to me. But I am really glad that I did it. I am always happy to send pics as you get closer if you want.
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Good morning!
Day 4 after chemo and gotta say not feeling so great, took an anti-nausea pill. Hopefully it will kick in soon.
Iamnobird: Thanks for the encouraging words re the reconstruction. I am totally on board with a reconstruction surgery. I I am planning on a bilateral mastectomy mostly because my breast tissue is so dense, I don't want to worry about tumors in the non-cancerous breast. I am planning on doing expanders or implants when I have the mastectomy, just depends upon whether I will also need radiation. My understanding is that you don't want to radiate implants.
Iamnobird: I am so glad you are happy with your results! So nice of you to offer to share pics and I might take you up on that! My primary tumor is very close to my nipple so I may be doing a nipple reconstruction as well/tattoo etc. Interestingly, MDA seems to have some pretty amazing resources to spare the nipple and also test for cancerous cells during the surgery. This is one of the reasons I am going to have my surgery and reconstruction at MDA, probably late fall- many more resources than Piedmont here in Atlanta but that is of course what one would expect.
I think that's it for me right now.
I hope everyone has a good day!
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Catm: Yuck. I am so sorry. I hope you feel better soon. The good thing is that your treatment isn’t weekly so I bet you get a couple of weeks of feeling well. I am supposed to have my phase 2 tweaks in late fall. If I want. I am tempted not to do it, but we will see how radiation goes. My breast might shrink a bit and then the adjustments will be more important. They are supposed to radiate mostly the lymph node area, but will hit the breast as well I think. I haven’t even thought that much about the radiation phase as I just want to get through chemo for now. Sigh.
Just picked up my middle kiddo so that is nice. He looks good but is exhausted. He crawled into bed and I am not sure he will wake for dinner. Ha0 -
Good morning!
Catm: I'm so sorry that you aren't feeling well today. I hope the anti-nausea meds work quickly and work well. You had so much going on this week with first chemo, biopsies and travel. Any one of those would be exhausting. That you managed all three has me wondering if you have super powers.
Thanks for all the great information about reconstruction. The first surgeon I met with when I was diagnosed suggested a lumpectomy and something about enlarging the breast so that it would match the other breast post radiation. She said we'd give the other a lift to match the reconstructed breast. The second surgeon suggested a lumpectomy and didn't discuss reconstruction at all. Both said mastectomy is an option too. Surgery won't be until mid-fall for me so I've put off thinking about it. I'm also in the very dense breast tissue category.
I noticed a couple more hairs on my pillow this morning. Nothing major. I ordered one of the wigs from the Etsy shop iamnobird recommended. I'll share photos when it arrives. I had a dream the other night that my dogs were playing tug with a pink wig. 😂 Perhaps predictive of my future and another Etsy shopping spree.
I'm feeling a bit better today. Sleep helps.
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Hello everyone, just getting caught up with you all. Thanks for thinking of me.
Its so great to have a support group. Glad the treatments are going well (well as well as they can i suppose). i have complete chemo brain and unable to get rid of the fog. today is Day 3. when does the fog clear up?
I am also starting my period today i think. the pain from the nulasta and period cramps seems to be all mingled in together.
I did get hives too yesterday which looked super scary but i think the steriods and anti-histamine took care of it.
I have been advised by the chemo nurse to get a port. they had to stick me 3 times to find a good vein. Port insertion seems so scary. how did you all do?
we planted flowers today in the backyard since that is where i plan to spend most of my time. will send pics soon.
i wish you all calm and smooth healing! hugs
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Hi Cancerian! So glad to hear from you and glad that chemo 1 is behind you! Sorry that you aren't feeling well. This whole period during chemo thing is unfair and awful. My heart goes out to all of you who are dealing with this. I look forward to seeing photos of your garden!
As for the port, I have some vague recollection of the OR nurse talking about it being her last day in the office and a vacation to Egypt. She was joking with me that they were restraining my arms because they heard I had a mean left hook. She was very entertaining. I had conscious sedation for the procedure but I don't remember much else. I woke with a small incision near the base of my neck and another incision - a little over an inch long - where the port is tucked. Recovery was quick and the incisions healed quickly. No stitches - just some kind of glue. I use lidocaine cream on the port a couple of hours prior to chemo. I barely even feel the needle. I had an issue with the port two weeks ago but the nurses resolved it and all went smoothly last week.
Hugs to you all!
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Hi Cancerian:
So good to hear from you. Planting flowers sounds so nice. I don’t have a port so can’t help there, but I know lots of folks love them. I have good veins and my nurse is a whiz so we have been doing fine without a port. I am sorry that you are in the period club. Like seriously. We need an added thing right now said no one ever. But I am glad that you are feeling otherwise well.
We have had a nice day. We made salmon eggs Benedict for breakfast and mango/passion fruit mimosas (mine was mostly juice) and then took a long walk along the sea. We walked about 8km
, which is great for me. The reconstruction surgery has definitely meant that my ability to walk this long has been challenging. So I am happy to start to build up my stamina again. Now I am chilling on the sofa. The Finnish coast is so beautiful
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Good morning!
Cancerian: Very good to hear from you and glad that you are doing reasonably well. As for the port, I had outpatient surgery in Atlanta prior to going to MDA. It has been tender but is now doing better. I am definitely a "tough stick" (took 30 minutes for the nurses at MDA to get an IV in for an MRI) so I am glad to have the port. I think mine is in about the same location as njdogmom's. I would encourage you, Cancerian, to get the port as you are a tough stick apparently. Also, my understanding is that the port can help minimize longterm vein damage. I also have glue on my incision sites.
Gardens: speaking of….I had the best surprise yesterday! I have an area in my yard of raised beds for vegetables. It has been a mess. My son and a friend of mine (a guy my age who loves gardening) showed up and cleared out the beds and planted vegetables. It was so thoughtful and I am excited to watch my veggies grow. Some years I've had so many cucumbers, I've taken to "pickling". I'll share photos as the vegetables progress.
Hair: Sorry about the hair coming out. My guess is I'll be right behind you. I'm planning on checking out the Etsy shop Iamnobird recommended.
Reconstruction: Happy to share whatever info I have gathered. I have heard that "ideally", you don't want to do implants right away if you are going to need radiation (though I've seen photos of radiated implants and in those cases the difference with the breasts was pretty minimal.) I've also heard that sometimes it makes sense to do both breasts for symmetry reasons.
Nausea meds worked yesterday. Thank goodness for modern medicine. I have now ordered an "arse"-enal of products from Amazon with my latest side effect. Probably TMI but I think we have all agreed that there's no such thing as TMI at this point!
njdogmom: Glad you are feeling a bit better now.
Hope you all have a great day!
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Haha. I am cracking up at “arse-nal”. I also bought a ton of those types of products. Like a ton. Along with all sorts of vaginal moisturizer products as people tell me that is an issue as well. So far, these have not been significant side effects for me. But all products go to the embassy mailroom and my husband brings them home. Lucky, lucky man!
Catm: What a lovely surprise with the vegetable garden. That is the sweetest! I am so glad that you are feeling better.My reconstruction procedure was where they actually take flesh from your stomach to make a breast. So it luckily can be radiated without too much harm. But that wasn’t the original plan clearly. In a perfect world, you would do this when finished with treatment. My whole thing was super backwards. Plus, I made the decision hours after seeing my MRI result and had surgery 10 days after that. So it was all a blur. Finland tends to prefer using autologous flesh reconstruction instead of implants so it tends to be the norm here. It was a long 10 hour surgery though with a micro surgeon and a breast surgeon working together. Then I spent 5 days in the hospital. The US does have micro surgeons who do the procedure, but it is less common in the US than in Europe so they tend to have waitlists I think. I was lucky to sail through without complications and have healed well.
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Happy Mother's day!
Glad you are feeling better catm and I look forward to the veggie garden photos.
Iamnobird - those photos are so beautiful! Glad you had a wonderful day and that you got a great walk in!
One of the things I love most about this group is the no such thing as TMI. And on that note, lessons learned from this past week: Deep fried anything is not my friend. 2 glasses of red wine is 1 too many for my digestive system at this point. Coffee, which I would have considered having a port placed for these past 40 years, I need to limit to 1 mug per day. A vesper, which was great exercise to shake, did not make it past my lips. I couldn't handle the smell. How odd is that? Not something I drink often so I won't miss it.
I have a yoga lesson scheduled for noon. If you don't hear from me for a couple of days, I'm probably pretzeled in some awkward pose in my living room yelling at SIRI to call for help. 🤣
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Hi again!
Iamnobird: I have heard of the surgery you had and know it is a long procedure. I am glad it went well for you & that you have it behind you!
ordered a wig off one of Iamnobird’s Etsy shops!Oh! My son just arrived so am going to sign off!
Hope Njdogmom can still type in her pretzel 🥨 yoga pose!I’m hoping to get outside again soon but frankly haven’t felt up to it today/yesterday but it’s tolerable- so that’s good!
Sending hugs
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NJ: Hoping yoga went well (I am sure it did) and you aren’t still in a pretzel behind the sofa oe something 🤣🤣. I can’t wait to see these new wigs. I am still liking all food a bit too much. But I definitely find this take out pizza is too much for me. As are large quantities of bread. There is a British woman married to a Finn who runs a home bakery in our neighborhood and her bakes are so nice. Sourdough bagels, muffins, scones, really nice bread loaves. I often place a weekly order and when we have good stuff, it is so much harder to be “good.”
Catm: I hope you had a nice Mother’s Day!Nothing much here. I am going for a walk with a friend in a bit and might do some grocery shopping. Otherwise, it is a boring life lol. Treatment 4 tomorrow. I am almost halfway through my first cycle. I need to talk to them about the schedule. I think my last chemo is August 8. My husband has a conference in Athens for a week in mid September. I really want to meet him there for a few days or so. An after chemo treat. But I need to see if they think I might be in decent shape for that to be reasonable. I mean, I am not doing adventure travel. Just a nice hotel and some lounging about. The idea of getting a little trip is so appealing. I miss travel so much right now.
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Good morning!
Well, I am going to say that the aches in my legs and cramps in my stomach have been pretty unpleasant over the past few days. There is so much I would like to be doing but just haven't had the energy. I am grateful I am not chasing small children around or trying to keep up with professional commitments. I am going to take my dog out in a bit (husband is out of town all week) so even if I just walk 15 minutes, I think that will be good. Oh, and you may truly think me a bit crazy but I also have a stroller for my cat. Someone I met recently recommended this and to start the cat early (my cat is only 7 months old). My daughter is onboard with this crazy cat ladies operation. I think photos are in order if/when this operation gets going! (I think we are all "animal" people though as we are collectively "Bird, Dog and Cat"- pretty funny, yes?)
njdogmom: How are you doing? Are you doing ok with having to stop work for a bit? I hope you are doing ok and I have been thinking about you. I'm around for a chat.
Iamnobird: The bakery items sound fantastic! I, too, am struggling with not eating carbs and have actually put on some weight as well- UGH! And i just love getting weighed all the time! I always struggle to keep my weight in check with hypothyroidism so all the more reason I need to get out there and move a bit.
Iamnobird: Wow, can't believe how far along you are with your treatments. That's fantastic and Athens sounds lovely!
I'm hoping to buy some cucumbers for my garden. Might catch a movie later with my son.
Hoping you have a great day!
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Oh please, please take pics of the cat in a stroller. In Finland, it isn’t really legal to keep cats outside. So they are big on leashes and other ways to have cats outdoors safely. I have heard that if you start young, you have a good chance of success. Mine are definitely not there! We do put harnesses on them when we have traveled internationally. You have to take them out of the carriers when you go through security and they swipe your hands for bomb residue, etc. I am always afraid one of them will get loose and make a break for it. We took a 26 hour ferry from Germany to Finland and had a pet suite. They were living in luxury. No cramped carrier shoved under the seat. These pics capture the experience lol
I am sorry that you have been feeling yucky. You are getting a much stronger dose of meds than I am right now. The weekly chemo is very diluted so it lessens the side effects a bit. I have heard that the first cycle or two is often the toughest as they figure out what side effects are an issue and how to control them as you go through the cycles.@njdogmom Thinking of you and hoping all is well!
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Oh my gosh I am LOVING these photos! Is the pooch a terrier or…..? They are all adorable!
I am partial to the ginger as my mother (as I mentioned) had 2 gingers. One of them ("George Klooney"- "because he is so handsome" my mom, "Medea") is headed back to Atlanta next week. The other, "Karmie" (looks like your kitty) is with my niece in PA.
I definitely need to get the PINK (yep, went pink because pink looks good with a gray cat) stroller going for Birdie. If for no other reason than to have a good chuckle.
Thanks for encouraging words on the first couple rounds of chemo. I'm really doing ok (better after walking my dog) but definitely feeling the side effects.
I'm off to "Guardians of the Galaxy" with my second son at 5:00. Clearly my boys like all these fantasy/Marvel movies etc.
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Iamnobird: Beautiful photos! Such posh pets with a pet suite on an international ferry cruise! Love that one of your children is in the background tuning out the world.
A pink cat stroller sounds fun catm! My kitties passed away a couple of years ago. I think of them often and miss their company. Posting photos to add to the red cat round up.
Finnegan and Sophie.
One of my neighbors took me out for lunch yesterday. It was lovely and the food was fantastic. I had an eggplant, prosciutto and pesto panini. It was delicious! I was surprised by how exhausted I was after being out of the house for a couple of hours.
New side effect to report: Tinitus. I noticed it on Friday but ignored it thinking it was just some passing thing. Over the weekend, I blamed it on sinus pressure and the changing weather. Allergies! You name it, I found a reason for it not to be a big deal. By this morning, I couldn't come up with any more excuses. I reported it to the nurse navigator via text. She responded that we need to discuss it with the oncologist.
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