Illinois ladies facing bc

Morning Girls..Happy Sunny Sunday to all. It is pretty cold out there today but I do like the sunshine. It looks like we have lots of aches and pains around here.

Wendy...I hope your one eye is getting better. You know I do have a one eye patch I could give you that has sparkles on it. lol Please do rest that eye.

Laura.. how is your LE doing. Hope it is getting better. did you start your new  job yet.

Rita...how is your golf game. I do wish it was warmer to play. Just to cold for me.

Connie.. when are you leaving for LV..soon. I need to mail the tx to you. Let me know.

Zap..sorry to hear about your kitty being sick. I do sympathize with you as you can feel so helpless when they are sick. My lab was sick with diarrhea and all I could do is feed him ice cubes by hand to drink and give him rice to eat. They are our babies to take care of. Hope your kitty is feeling better soon.

Carolyn....glad to see that you have a wonderful group of coworkers that are their for you. Your surgery will be here soon... hang in there and hugs to you.

Elfsong...Naperville is a wonderful town. The River walk is so pretty to walk. Enjoy your new home

Marina...hope you are feeling better soon.

Irene...how are you feeling after your Zometa infusion. Have you done any colors selections yet.

Jackie...thank you for the wonderful quotes this week. They have been very uplifting to me. You have a wonderful spirit within you and I do enjoy reading them. thanks and hugs to you.

Just wanted to stop by and say hi. I have been under the weather this week, so off to rest now.

Have a great Sunday. Remember to be healthy....be happy. Hugs to all of you.

BJ

Thanks for all with your words of understanding with my cat.  All except Wendy, who remains aloof about animals.  That is okay;  she will just take care of me for a month when I hole up in her fort when I lose my Cece Marie

I think the food thing is the answer.  When we went to DC my daughter brought over the food she gives her cat and it was new to my cat.

BJ, I too did not realize you were sick.  You are too nice to be sick.  I worked on Friday and all the teachers are getting that feeling that summer is so close.  My dear, prettty soon you will be on that boat doing what you love to do most.

Wendy, I am bad when it comes to not doing the smart thing, but driving with a patch is really dangerous.  I am glad you decided not to do that.  OMG I remember those floaters.  They wigged me out.  This must be really putting  a chill on your lifestyle as you are very active and such a reader. 

Budder, how are you doing?  Feeling okay?

To all ILFBC.......as my younger daughter would always say PEACE OUT GIRL SCOUT!

  

This has been a wonderful weekend for me.   Yesterday I was at my parents house.  We had dinner and then talked for awhile. Mom and Dad were trying to take my mind of things by telling me stories of their youth and reliving my youth as well.  Today is my neice Katie's 5th birthday so we will be celebrating both her birthday and my (early) birthday with a big family party.  Katie is my godchild so it is perfect that our birthdays are so close together!  She's so full of life - loves to dance and sing and is little miss acrobat!  Can't wait to see her and her sister and brother today!

Well I'm all packed with stuff to take to my sister's house.  Just need to sort out the stuff there to take to the hospital.

Michele  - hope your  feeling better soon.

Wendy -  it sounds like your eye is starting heal - hope it heals quickly

Buddy - hope you hear from the dr soon and that you are doing well.

Hope everyone enjoys the day as much as I am.

Hi:

I do not think Blackjack is sick.  I went back on the posts and it was never mentioned.  I hope I am right.

Susan

Hi Zap,

Just want to clarify that I have been under the weather with this never ending chest and breast pain. I am waiting the results of my MRI which I had done on Friday. Pain meds help a little to take the edge off, but the numbness in my left arm is what is getting me down. I think I have some flare up from post rads that is causing this. But who knows....I will just have to wait for the results.

I'm beyond thankful that my chemo is over and even more thankful that I don't have to have radiation.  Things are going well... other than my finger being completely numb and not being able to button a shirt.  LOL  so it's pull overs for me for awhile.. LOL

My chemo brain is slowly fading but it's still trying to hang in there....

I pray that everyone is going well...

Marilyn

Marilyn -- add me in with a big yay for you.  You were pretty quiet about it, but chemo can go fairly well, or just give you all sorts of icky se's to take care of in some way.  I can hear that large side of relief.  Great that you don't have to have rads.  They seem easier for most, but are time consuming for sure. 

I also concur with the "nothing" like family from Rita to Carolyn.  It can be I think, very rewarding to get into reminisces about parents before and after children and sometimes their thoughts and impressions about many of the things you did as a small child.  It is a little love and understanding and acceptance through the ages.  Sort of a rite of passage.  Glad you found such enjoyment because I think it is a very worthwhile thing to do. 

Wendy.....might you be talking about the white flowering bushes? that you planted early last spring that smelled so wonderful.  I meant to write down the name.....they sounded so fantastic....but as is my usual did not have pencil and paper handy.  Lately I have taken to keeping one right here by my  computer in hopes that I will not be so foolish as to "think" -- I'll remember.  Of course, I won't -- I never have and what made me think I would or could start now. 

Rita, I did get your email and today hopefully will get out to act on it. 

Well, friends -- let me see what I can get into today.  Will be cool till end of the week -- not real cool -- but the warmth sounds like it will bring thunderstorms.  Could be we will get some
April showers after all.  Haven't had much so far.  I'll be checking in later. 

Hugs, Jackie

Yay, Buddy! I'm so happy to hear the news.

I'm trying to catch up with everyone, but it's been awhile and a lot to read.

Wendy, I sure hope your eye is getting better.

Marilyn, a big congrats to you. I well remember how good it felt to finish chemo, and now you are finished with all tx. Makes the sunshine today have a reason.

BJ, feel better soon.

I have more reading to do to catch up, but it seems like many of us are having a bit of trouble now. It's always something, and I hope everyone feels well soon!

Carolyn, rooting for you! How nice of your co workers to be so thoughtful, and your family too. Your bc sisters will be thinking of you too.

Marina, thinking of you, and that little one. I have a Miraclesuit, which I think is like Spanx. I tell myself it's because I've had three kids, but I'm just being kind to myself, I think.  

Jackie, if that is your free day, then I wonder what a busy day is like for you!

See you all later, after I actually get something done today. I hear the laundry calling out.....

Who knew one day I would be hoping for arhtritis.  Its so funny.

Good morning everyone.  Great morning -- sun is out early.  Just the way I like it.  It is a great day to be alive and healthy. 

Buddy -- it is funny that we can be thrilled about almost any disease as long as it is not cancer or the return of same.  Does just prove once again to me that for some reason.....cancer strikes such a chord of fear like nothing else seems too.  All the monsters that were ever under our bed seem to lurk while waiting for our tests to be analyzed.  You are almost afraid to feel positive because you would have so far to fall if it was not.  So bring on Mr. Authur Itis.  Life is good again.

I hope all of you will enjoy the sun and accomplish everything you would like too.  Thinking of you Carolyn and Marina, Wendy and Elf, and Laura and Bj.  Hope things are getting better.  Nice to see you again too Smerf.

Big hi to Ginny.

Hugs, Jackie

Hi all:

 Finished short term teaching stint and now have three luscious days to enjoy myself.  Well, except for the mammogram scheduled on Thursday (routine).  I do not worry about mammograms as they never found any problems even when the problems were there.  I have very dense breasts and have been told that mammograms ar useless.  The mri shows what is really going on.  Knock on wood the mammogram continues to not show a thing.  Last time I got a scare as they called me back in and I went into a terrible funk.  I need to remain sane this time if I get called back for more pictures.

Marina, sorry you are feeling the effects when work tensions are high.  They do tend to build up in intensity as our poor bodies are being racked over with all that chemo.  I only had four treatments but the fourth was clearly harder than the third and so the story goes on.

 Buddy, glad for your news.

Blackjack, wish I could climb into the mri with you tomorrow (NOT!!!).  I hate the mri but I will be with you in prayer and thought.  I will be breathing deeply with you.

Rita and Wendy, hope that golf game is making you proud.

 Wendy, I missed your post today.  Hope the eye is better.

I so hope tomorrow is warmer.  I want to start getting my plants in.  Buddy, I know you love to garden.  Can you do some contianer gardening?  They have all these hanging baskets for tomatoes and strawberries.  Perhaps if you wore gloves, you could get into the soil.

Jackie, I love the quotes.  I sent  the Winnie the Pooh one to my daughters who love Pooh. 

Smerf, always good to hear from you.  Hope all is going great one town over!  My best friend lives in the Glenn.  She is the one with the husband battling colon cancer with a spread to the liver.  Hard times for them as they have one daughter who is still in high school.  We go to the movies at the Glenn during the day and that is such a luxury!  Few people are there and we can talk during the film!

Laura, hope the arm is okay!

Good night to all!

Susan

Hi girls. Wanted to check in. My new "gig" is going well. I love the fast pace of it and I love being "on my feet" instead of an office in front of a computer. If I'm going to be on a computer...I prefer to be working on my website or checking in with you girls.

blackjack - What's up? Have you gotten the results? Hugs...hope things are better.

Budder - GREAT NEWS! Let's catch up soon! 

Wendrew - Where are you? Hope all is well.

Marilyn - CONGRATS to you!

Cheryl - How are you doing?

Susan - Since Mammos don't see through dense tissue...can you request an UltraSound instead? It would be more diagnostically accurate AND it would save you the radiation exposure. Just a thought...

Joann - YES...unfortunately it supposedly IS Lyphedema...Thanks for the info. I have done everything you mentioned...but mine is complicated by severe cording/Axillary Web Syndrome. We can overcome...right?

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Right about now I have to vent...I'm really pissed off about this whole LE/Axil Web/Cording "thing"...I KNOW IT COULD BE WORSE...but hey...in the meantime...I am NOT handling the extensive/chronicness of it all. I simply do not do well with "things" that I cannot "fix" - 100%. After all...I am the "one" who fixes everything, from broken hearts to who knows what! And this one... I CANNOT totally/100% "fix". I have PT again tomorrow morning. It hurts like HE**...but I have no choice. AND I HATE NOT HAVING A CHOICE. Venting...venting...venting...

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To those in treatment...best wishes, of course! Thoughts are with you!

Sweet Dreams to all!

Good morning everyone and it is a beautiful one.  Had a good day yesterday and almost met our goal of completely fiishing up the new dog pen.  Hmmmm, have to re-think a couple of things we were set to do. We did not realize ( never took out the back part of the pen ) that part of the back had been built up with bricks -- not dirt.  We may have to totally re-work that part.

Also got the drive way re-coated yesterday.  Hope we can drive on it sometime today. 

Nothing totally planned for today -- just whatever presents first will get handled.  Laura...this is the place to vent.  Sorry you are having to deal with this issue.  It is difficult when we have something that is not going to completely resolve.  Sometimes all we can do is try to give in a little gracefully I guess and keep being happy we are alive and able to contribute to the world at large.  Just keep doing the good things you do -- your stars will be out tonight.

Hi to everyone and hope you will all have a fantastic day.

Hugs, Jackie

HI everybody!
First I apologize to everyone for having been MIA. Been dealing with just too much, with no help at home what so ever, still tire out easily.... (took me 3 days to recover from my daughter's birthday party. No exaggeration, first day I couldn't get out of bed!) I've got a for sure pre-cancer thing going on in my esophagus - sinus-ear-vocal chords- from acid reflux/ gerd, need surgery on stomach for sure, the rest, still working on... and I just found out my cobra will not extend. Originally it was approved & extended, now they (government policies) are taking that away, so I have to hurry up and take care of that plus get breast reconstruction while I'm still eligible - I'm extremely lopsided and can't wear most of my tops or dresses.... I know you guys understand! I was wondering if any of you had suggestions of breast reconstruction surgeons in the NW suburbs of Chicago?  I didn't have mastectomy, but lumpectomy, and my breast is hard still. My other one sags from weight & age.... Are there drain tubes? How long is hospital stay? Please pm or email me, I don't know when I'll be back on... but I'll try!
Thanks girls!
I hope everyone is doing ok!
When my husband isn't hanging over my shoulder (which doesn't leave me much) I'll try to do some catch up.