Illinois ladies facing bc
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Got to hear the Boob story today from Laura.. Too funny.. I've never seen Jan with "BOOBS".. LOL Sounds like you guys had a blast!!!
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OH GOOD LAWRD...where do I start!!!
ADEY - Is in NOLA! Hope all is well, Adey...THOUGHTS ARE WITH HER!
JACKIE - IllinoisMan was so sweet! Indeed...I did NOT notice he is shorter than you. What I did notice...is that his eyes lit up when he saw you walking up to the pick up. How sweet! Your "race horse" is a true winner!
NancyJill - I truly hope you WILL meet up with us sometime...uplifting...and very healthy!
Lago Logo - THANKS...you rock! I know you're stetched thinly...thanks for posting the pics! And that damned bra strap...ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH...never had that problem when I had a "real" bra with "real" boobs...LOL
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Had lunch with mak today...and YES..."filled" her in on the BOOB story! Too funny!
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Hugs to all of you! You ALL mean the world to me.
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Laura and Lauren - thank you for posting the pictures. We all look great if I say so myself :-)
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Those desserts were wonderful!!!
Thanks for posting the nice pics Lago!
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Thought for the Day
If you keep your head and heart going in the right direction you'll never have to worry about your feet.0 -
Trying to snow again here today and though it is thinnish right now, who knows what may come. If I am going to have the seasons ( part of why I moved back home ) then at some point.....I do hope for one of the really pretty snowfalls. I'm just not hoping for it quite this soon. Christmas morning when people are hopefully home and looking forward to the day is ok.
Char.....I'm with you ---- what a great way to see loving, friendly, welcoming faces. The pictures are great, but being there now.....I'm still rather speechless. Such warmth -- its a very alive thing.
Yes, the boobs. I too heard of them often. I think they are like the Bed In A Bag --- they are Boobs In A Bag, but quite **real**for falsies. Interesting thought here --- if you could total up all costs related only to BC since its discovery in each of us....then, how much money would have been in that room on Dec 3rd. I doubt there would have been room for us, or not much anyway. Ok, I'm weird --- all sorts of ideas flit across the gray matter and then disappear.
One more little item ( I think I may have said this before ) I so admire Jan ( and it is a fantastic pose that says so much, quietly while it screams out loud ) that Jan knows she is not her boobs, and that they do not make her who she is --- so she can walk around and be quite comfortable without them. I apologise Jan.....for using you in such balant fashion, but ( I'm guilty too ) we do get hung up on what we wear, how we look, and worry how we are perceived. Some of us still worry about acceptance -- so it is proof that you are not any one part of your body as you can function perfectly .
Ok.....nuff' of that -- now you know what really flits through my mind and btw....many thanks to Laura and Lago for those pictures. If you have Picasa.....any of you gals, you can just rt. click on those and put them into your album.
I hope you all have a fantastic day....that is what I'm planning. See you later, after work.
Bj....please stay on your couch.
Healthy Hugs, Jackie
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Laura...I like the new avatar.
Jackie
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Lago - Too much time on my hands....LOL I retouched out my bra strap AND some facial wrinkles AND my port scar AND my name badge! LOL LOL LOL
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Hey when did Adey go blonde???? Just a reminder to keep her in your prayers today. By now she has her new ( ! ) ( ! ) and could probably use them. (Prayers I mean) Hopefully someone will text one of us and let us know how it went. Onward
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Prayers,w arm, warm wishes for great results and lots of healing hugs for Adey.
Hugs, Jackie
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Hi ladies! It was fun for me to see your beautiful faces in the holiday party pictures - so glad you posted these. I really hope to meet some of you at a future gathering.
I also wanted to post an update on my situation. Yesterday, I had my second opinion appointment with the breast surgeon at Northwestern. I am 100% confident that her team is the right one for me. We are going to move forward with a bi-lateral mastectomy and insert TEs. Will do reconstruction after getting finished with whatever treatments I get (almost definitely chemo, possibly rads, probably Tamoxifen (sp?) depending on final results). I will be going in for pre-op workup tomorrow morning. I also had an appt with a plastic surgeon who I really liked. Dr, Hansen gave me three referrals for an oncologist, but need to research them: Dr. William J. Gradishar, Dr. Virginia G. Kaklamani and Dr. Jamie H. Von Roenn. Does anyone here have any experience or intel on these doctors? They are all at Northwestern. I have asked my "healthcare concierge" (that I got through work) to do some research and also see which of them are covered on my insurance plan, so I'll probably hear from her today, but am doing my own research as well. I don't actually have a surgery date yet - but am told I will have one scheduled by today or tomorrow. Don't know though if I can have it in December, with having to coordinate 2 surgeons' schedules and the holidays looming, it may be in January. I will take what I get. In some ways, I would like to wait till after Christmas so that I am not dealing with Christmas prep and celebrations post-surgery, but then again, at this point I just want these boobs off of me (I realize that a few weeks at this point really doesn't impact my actual prognosis). The difference in the amount of time that the doctors and nurses at Northwestern (versus the professionals at my local hospital) spent talking to me and answering my questions was astounding. I feel so much better having had all my questions answered and concerns addressed.
Once I get my surgery date, I am going to have to face up to telling family and friends. So far, I have only told my husband (of course), my parents, a few close friends and my boss at work. I waffled on telling my boss, but am so glad I did as my company has been incredibly helpful and supportive. I have had a hard time being up for the task of telling people. Maybe because it seems like the more people I tell, the more real this situation is for me. That probably sounds stupid. I am thinking that maybe I'll tell one person in each "circle" of friends, and then tell that person to tell everyone else? What do you ladies think of that? I just find it emotionally draining to talk about. I also have to figure out how and what to tell my kids. Ugh. Overall, though, I am feeling better now that I have some doctors that I like and am confident in. Thanks for listening!
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Lemondrop- I actually wrote up an email and sent it to my family and friends. I told them that this way they would have all the information I had and I would not need to face the emotional turmoil of telling the news over and over again.
For me it worked very well- when I met or talked to my family and friends afterwards, they already knew the basics and I could bring them up to date. I know I had a lot less crying this way!
Jackie, thanks for the kind words. It is funny though- I'm striking that pose in the photo because I stuffed those 7000.00 boobs under my cami to be funny and I was actually wearing them! However, I'm very comfortable going completely flat and very glad I decided to go this way.
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Laura I didn't think those slight smile lines were even visable. I did whiten your teeth and whites of your eyes though
You even got rid of the dark circle under my left eye. I'm remove my photo.Lemondrop JanClare is r ight. You need to inform people the best way you can. If it wears you out to talk about it then send an email. I know when I had my surgery I had my husband call 1 friend. She emailed everyone else. Everyone else went through her to ask questions. Then of course 3 days after surgery I was home emailing everyone myself. But I don't mind talking about it. I'm not all that private of a person and I like to talk
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Any word from Adey???
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I've been sending her text messages but I'm assuming she's all drugged out on meds and hasn't even looked at them yet. Yeah I bet she's as high as a kite right now.
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ADEY - COME IN, ADEY! Earth calling ADEY...COME IN ADEY! LOL
Lago - Thanks for whitening my teeth. Can your "magic" make it permanent? LOL
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Hi Ladies-
Thanks for the pics-what a great looking group!
Ducked into Dicks Sporting Goods after the party not realizing I was still wearing my name tag. I am now known to all at Dicks as "spunkyboobster". Glad I was able to bring some holiday cheer to the retail sector-at least those old enough to remember Punky Brewster...
Today was my last day of work until ?, and Friday is appt with anesthes.-the countdown is on!
Awaiting good news from Adey-lots of prayers for her today.
G'nite friends
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Lemondrop....I'm with you and the others. This is difficult information to share so probably would be better if you e-mailed, or had someone close who could act as your spokesperson for a while. I did it the hard way..... these are great suggestions.
Spunky/Kelly.....will be thinking about you and definitely on Friday. Hoping all goes smoothy and you get any questions answered that you might have. There is only help and support here. Still thrilled you and Robo and all the others made it the other day.
Hugs, Jackie
P.S. Glad you only went to one sporting goods store and so glad it wasn't a Sports Bar. Oh my!!!!
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Lemondrop... so glad you were happy with Dr H. and her team at NW. I did consult with Dr Van Rooen for ONC and did like her very much. However, I was worried about my reaction to chemo and the hour travel time back home, but in retrospect, I would have been fine. I did find a great ONC closer to home though.
Spunky... funny about the name badge at Dick's!
Adey?????
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Laura:0
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Spunkyboobster - LOL!
Thanks for the thoughts on communicating with friends and family. I normally am a talker, but not about this cancer diagnosis (at least not so far). I am at Northwestern again this morning for pre- op workup. It looks like more likely than not, my surgery won't be till January, but will hear for sure today.
Joan, can I ask the name/location of the onc that you ended up working with?
Hope everyone has a good day!0 -
Lemon - Best wishes as you coordinate everything...imo...the sooner the better!
Spunky - TOO funny about Dick's! LOL Best wishes on Friday...
LAGO - Actually - Crest 3-D is better than Listerine! LOL - My teeth need to be professionally whitened, but I have sensitive gums that are somewhat receeding. So I have been reluctant. When the money tree blooms...VENEERS - here I come! LOL
Here's some more pics:
(I made Jackie a framed print of some of her quotations.)
Will post more later! Have a nice day girls!
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I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me. -Charles Swindoll
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Wow !!! What gorgeous people turning up here.....love that last picture -- there's a little attitude. Be very happy ( I think ) to see some more. Ok.....I don't see myself as very photogenic so am always scared "to be in" any picture anywhere...but so fat, not too bad.
Sun again here today so I am a happy camper, but it has been awfully chilly. Hopefully no wind today and that will help. Thinking of all of you doing txs. and those who need to begin. For those nearing the end......be proud of yourself. This is no small thing you have done. It has taken courage and fortitude to get where you will soon be.
Hope you are all going to have a marvelous day --- lots of sunshine and hopefully lots of things to smile or laugh about as it is heap good medicine. I'll be checking in later after work.
Also wanting to say a huge thanks again for the nice pictures....I have always enjoyed, but there are some really great feelings coming through for me now that I can actually be reminded of WHAT it was REALLY like and the great conversations with so many of you.
Hugs, Jackie
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Great photos!
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Good morning, has anyone heard anything about Dr. Thomas Mustoe out of Northwestern?
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Determined:
No I haven't. I had everything done at Northwestern if you want any information please let me know. There is nothing bad to say except for the parking garage. haha
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Where did all you ladies meet. Really looks like you had a great time.
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Look at this.. I am here twice in one week!!! Surprise!!
SpunkyB - hilarious about Dicks!!
Thanks for posting pics ladies - I really love those big group shots on the steps!
Just driving by & saying hi..... XOXO
Julie A.
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Still no word on Adey. She promised me her hubby would text either me or Lago and I have left texts and messages.
Lemondrop, depending upon how "out there" you are, I did a caringbridge page because I know alot of people and didnt want to be redundant. Because it isnt only the "I have cancer" email that has to go out. Throughout treatment I was able to keep them informed without having my naps disturbed..lol. Blessings to you as you move forward. You can get through this. We all have. Onward
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