Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part II -GAGWTA!

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

GAGWTA, Ladies!

Apparently WDW is not interested in a visit from us prior to August. The ladies on the other thread I hang out on almost ALL got some sort of PIN offers yesterday! Ironically, Laurie is the first person who has said the PIN was actually something her family can use.

I got e-mail offers from airlines, rental cars, and the airport parking lot yesterday, but nothing from WDW except a stupid newletter with the general public discounts. That just added insult to injury, because they OBVIOUSLY have my e-mail address.

That's fine, though. If they want to pick and choose who they invite then I will keep my money instead of giving it to them to help offset the $150 million in losses they just announced.

I hope you all have magical trips!!

Laura - I hope the weather cooperates for you!

Laurie - DS would be happy to miss school, but his grades this marking period are not going to be very good. He has misplaced several things, turned in some incomplete work, and managed to completely tank his grade in Language Arts, which is usually his BEST subject. I fear for what his report card will look like.

 

[snappy]

In our little family unit, the girls were better scholars by far. They seem more motivated to please the teachers anyway.

DS told me in high school that he wished he had read more throughout school. He really enjoys reading now but could tell he was further behind ude to not reading as much as some others.

He said in middle school it was considered uncool by the boys to read alot.

Peer pressure at his its most undesirable.

Fortunately, he reads like a maniac now, especially classics that I would think would be hard for him.

I actually think he spends too much reading for pleasure and not enough on studying. However, I am sure some good will come from all the reading.

I am finishing a classic right now, A Passage to India, by E. M. Forster.

I love being transported to far away places and time periods. Guess the same way I like WDW.

Laurie

 

[snappy]

GAGWTA, Ladies!

Apparently WDW is not interested in a visit from us prior to August. The ladies on the other thread I hang out on almost ALL got some sort of PIN offers yesterday! Ironically, Laurie is the first person who has said the PIN was actually something her family can use.

I got e-mail offers from airlines, rental cars, and the airport parking lot yesterday, but nothing from WDW except a stupid newletter with the general public discounts. That just added insult to injury, because they OBVIOUSLY have my e-mail address.

That's fine, though. If they want to pick and choose who they invite then I will keep my money instead of giving it to them to help offset the $150 million in losses they just announced.

I hope you all have magical trips!!

Laura - I hope the weather cooperates for you!

Laurie - DS would be happy to miss school, but his grades this marking period are not going to be very good. He has misplaced several things, turned in some incomplete work, and managed to completely tank his grade in Language Arts, which is usually his BEST subject. I fear for what his report card will look like.

I hope you get a pin that you can use, Elizabeth. It is really helping us since we like the bigger units at DVC and that burns our points.

Does your DS have a favorite teacher, Elizabeth? Several helped our DS immensely when he struggled. I will say that 7th grade appeared harder to me for our DS (isnot' your son in 7th along with my duaghter?). I remember DS having a D early on in reading or something in 7th grade. Stupid me, I ask at the parent teacher conference, is 7th grade actually that much harder than 6th???? The teachers (it was a team conference ) all vehemently shouted YES!!!!

OMG, I felt like a stark raving idiot. The religion teacher who everyone says favors the girls actually took him under her wing and protected him more than once (his social studies teacher went off on him once and the religion teacher quietly took him out into the hall until the other teacher calmed down).

The religion teacher remains my hero and this was 7 years ago.

Yay for teachers!! Hugs for teachers.

For that mater, hugs for CM's!!

How come you never hear Yay for accountants? We are a misunderstood group.

I guess it is because we make you turn in repoorts, time cards, whatever on time so everyone thinks we are sadistic

We are actually more laid back and fun loving than you think. Have you hugged your accountant today?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Laurie - DS is in 7th grade. His Language Arts teacher is very nice, and I think she e-mails me his grades so I can pester him to turn in anything that is missing so he will at least get partial credit. I think she probably is his favorite. He loves Band and PE but he isn't having trouble in those classes! He also likes his History class, but if he doesn't get his election notebook completed this weekend his grade in there will not be pretty. The only teacher he really doesn't like is the Reading teacher. I have to say, she has very flat affect and seems very cold. He seems to be OK with his math & science teachers, he just struggles with keeping up with 7 teachers total.
All of these projects are killing me. He had to do a big math project last week, he is supposed to be working on his science fair project, he has to do the election notebook, he never has time to breathe because they are assigned one on top of the other.

My bosses are accountants.

 

[laurabelle]

Laurie- Yes, the steroids are messing with my sleep but I am officially starting to taper down tomorrow!!! Of course it will be slow going.

Hey, you put a BIG bug in my ear, mentioning the Dolphin. Just for the fun of it I looked to see what the rates are next June. Hubby gets the fed. govt. discount. The total with taxes is $155/night! I can save over $600 by staying at the Dolphin instead of the Beach Club! I called hubby and he said book it! So now we are at the Dolphin 6/23-30!

 

[snappy]

Elizabeth, the projects drive me up the wall as well. I will say DD seems to have really gotten the hang of juggling everything better so I don't have to be as involved. Very helpful, especially since I am back in the work force.

 

[snappy]

Laura, that is an amazing deal at the Dolphin. So you are doing the Dolphin instead of the Beach club?

Gosh I love saving money.

 

[laurabelle]

~~~***GAGWTA sistas***~~~

Laurie- Yes, I booked the Dolphin, but I still have to cancel the Beach Club since the Disney computers were down yesterday. And I changed my dates slightly to arrive 3 days later than my BC reservation, so if I compare apples to apples the new dates are more $ at BC and it actually saves me almost $1000 by staying at the Dolphin instead! These dates give the kids a few days between the end of the school year here at home, and my oldest will have another week at home before her summer class starts.

School projects here haven't been bad yet this year. My youngest (also 7th grader) had a sort of free for all project about Spartacus. She wrote a little movie with a rap starring her, and her BFF as Spartacus. I video taped it. It was pretty fun actually...and she got 100%. Of course the dreaded annual sci. fair project is looming in our future. Seems like most of their projects these days involve writing looong papers.

2 more hours and I can print out my boarding passes!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

GAGWTA!!!

Laura - I am glad you can start tapering off the steroids!
DS had to make this poster for math, which was kind of a pain but he got a 100 on it. The election notebook won't be difficult, he just has to get it all organized and write a paper supporting one candidate over the other. I despise Science Fair. This year the timeline has them turning in everything except the display board prior to Christmas, which is asinine. We haven't even purchased the materials for his project yet!
Yay for a great deal at the Dolphin!! That sounds like it will work really well for you guys! I hope you got good boarding passes for this trip!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Laura, I'll be thinking of you having a wonderful time this weekend! Last night at dinner I was telling my DH about your trips and I couldn't remember where you were staying or exactly when you were going - I told him "she usually changes it around a bit" so it's hard to remember details. Gotta love the Dolphin - great savings!

My DH started a four day workweek last week and we have a date tomorrow while the kids are in school - it feels just like the old days. We're going to go shopping, or really just kalooping (looking around). We're looking forward to it. I'm trying hard to keep it simple this holiday season.

Gotta get some work done around the house, have a good day everyone. GAGWTA.

 

[snappy]

ah, kalooping. . . that must be a eastern seaborne lingo term.

Love it.

We are keeping it simple as well. No tree but that is because of Naj.

We wll still decorate.

Christmas I think will be mostly money to help fund 2nd semester.

DD13 needs a shopping trip to the mall which I haven't set foot in in months. She has literally outgrown everything but one pair of jeans, her adult small t-shirts, school uniforms and soccer uniforms.

She was invited to a cotillion dance tomorrow night but on of her GF's, she actually has to borrow something to wear.

I offered to take her out last night to shop but she said no, the borrowed outfit was fine.

I think she was overloaded with homework last night.

I don't get how some of these girls are doing multiple sports, sometimes even three.

DD13's grades are good but she spends a LOT of time with borth the written and the studying.

 

[laurabelle]

Linda- Hey, Fridays are date days for hubby and I too! Four day work weeks are the best!
Another reason the Dolphin works better for us is the 5 day cancellation policy rather than the 45 day Disney package. Who the heck knows what will be going on with me by next June but it's good to have that cushion.

Elizabeth- A-32 & 33!

 

[snappy]

Saw the doc who follows me for breast cancer yesterday. I filled him in on mom, and asked if that diagnosis changed things for me. He says no, that my risk was already established. He did say my sister should be followed closely AND have gene testing.

He also said our daughters need to be followed closely starting in their twenties.

My blood work and chest xray was fine and I am doing fine though, no issues after a VERY thorough exam. It actually hurts when he checks the lymph node area, but not the breast. He is more gentle with the rest of the exam, thank goodness.

I am dreading calling my sister today. She is already on edge about it all. She did have her mammogram after postponing it for a while last week.

She also changed Gyn docs to the female one mom and I see here in Baton Rouge. She really liked the way she handled mom in the aftermath of mom's diagnostic mammogram. This doc has not been accepting new patients (she wouldn't take DD18) but her nurses said they thought she would take my sister, and when they checked she said yes.

I think we have the makings of an interesting case study here. I am just glad as she is a great doc, and I know she and my sister will hit it off (they actually already have).

As hard as it was for my sister to even go in for the screen mammogram I know she will agonize over the gen test. Her primary told her two weeks ago she needs to have the testing but she is in denial.

This too shall pass.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Linda - Enjoy your time with DH!

Laura - Yay for good boarding passes!

Laurie - Good thoughts for your sister! I hope she decides to go for tests soon.
Yay for a great check-up!

 

[laurabelle]

~~~***GAGWTA sistas***~~~

Well of course I'm awake! I made myself lay in bed until after 3...
Just wanted to pop in and say farewell. It's foggy here this morning, so I'm keeping a watch out for delays before we leave for the airport. It's supposed to be upper 80s today and 80 tomorrow in WDW! I can't wait to feel the sunshine!

Normally I am doing my Methotrexate injections on Fridays so I decided to do it last night instead. I don't know what it is, this is my 4th shot, but I am having a hard time doing it to myself. I had no problems with the Humira pen injections, but something about stabbing myself with the syringe... So I set myself up in the bathroom, the needle popped off the syringe, I popped it back, but I think it messed up because I had a hard time with it. I started feeling woozy so I sat on the edge of my tub and called out to hubby, but he didn't hear me. I didn't want to stand up...next thing you know, I passed out and they heard the crash and came running in. Wow, I hit the tile hard even from a seated position. I'm fine, just not happy with myself for wasting a dose and being such a baby. I told hubby either he is going to have to inject me or somebody else, I just can't. I might have him do it this morning, I just want to get it over with so I can relax and have fun!

WDW here I come!!!

 

[NHAnn]

GAGWTA!!

Happy weekend to all, esp Laura and DH at the BC!! Hope there are no ill effects from the fall!!

I feel like a wuss complaining, especially when others are in much worse situations, but I just want to "unload" and move on....

I feel as though I'm 91 not 51! Shortly before my RFTC trip, my left wrist bothered me, felt like a bruise on the inside edge of the wrist joint, but nothing visible. It got worse, such that the thumb hurt and with certain movements there were shooting pains radiating into the hand and up the arm. Went to my new PCP for the first time (my old one left and a new one took his place--this doc had been there before my time and left and then returned to replace mine, who I really liked ) He diagnosed it as deQuearvain's tendonitis, gave me some presc Naproxen, exercises, and told me to ice and wear a wrist/thumb brace esp at night. It improved with that over the following several weeks though I still have twinges with certain movements,nothing like before. But now the right one is a little sore....I'm being careful and exercising that trying to head it off. Now, for the last week or so I have had lowback pain esp towards the right side/right hip....again with no known trauma or overextertion That's improving with self-care and no trip to the doc. I was e-mailing with my sister in Co, and the one here who had the phyllodes and pneumothorax.....they both recently were found to be severely Vitamin D deficient and told me to get checked for that, and it apparently can cause joint pain So on top of my "usual" fatigue and the sore feet/ankles each day until I get "loose" I have been having a pity party. And getting depressed when I go the msg boards on Breastcancer.org and read of some women's side effects from the hormonal therapy I want to chalk some of this up to normal aging, but thinking having almost 2 more years to go onthe HT clinical trial is getting me down sometimes. And I need to schedule my annual physical with the PCP soon, and hope that he doesn't think I'm nuts for wanting the bone density scan every year (instead of every 2 which is what they "usually recommend, even when I tell them an aromitase inhibitor,which is likely what I'm on in the trial, can accelerate bone loss) and will probably have to beg for the Vit D to be checked too......unless the onc chekcs that in the every 6 months labs, I guess I should call there first and find out. OK, if you're still with me....thanks for reading my whiiine, please pass the cheese and crackers I feel better now!

 

[disneyholic family]

well i've looked at the first page of this thread and the last page...
so i know what GAGWTA means....too bad you don't have a cast of characters post on the first page though....
kind of difficult to join up midstream...

ah well..no biggie..


GAGWTA

 

[NHAnn]

Hi disney holic!....and welcome....
the "cast of characters" changes.... some come and go, some post now and then.....others post more regularly. The original thread was started for support/questions for breast cancer survivors, ladies in the midst of a "scare" (mammo callback, biopsy, etc.) and/or caregivers and families.....and over time got a little more "social" but please jump right on in!!

laurabelle and Pea-n-me(Linda) started the original thread in the spring of 2005, snappy (Laurie) and MerryPoppins (Melissa) and I have been here from pretty much the outset (and I know I'm not listing other regular posters)...but the full list of posters is pretty extensive!!

 

[disneyholic family]

Hi disney holic!....and welcome....
the "cast of characters" changes.... some come and go, some post now and then.....others post more regularly. The original thread was started for support/questions for breast cancer survivors, ladies in the midst of a "scare" (mammo callback, biopsy, etc.) and/or caregivers and families.....and over time got a little more "social" but please jump right on in!!

laurabelle and Pea-n-me(Linda) started the original thread in the spring of 2005, snappy (Laurie) and MerryPoppins (Melissa) and I have been here from pretty much the outset (and I know I'm not listing other regular posters)...but the full list of posters is pretty extensive!!

thanks!!

i'd fall into the family category....
my mom's a survivor....she got breast cancer at age 76, had chemo, radiation and surgery and is now 81 and going strong - she travels all over the world...

my sister, hasn't had breast cancer, though she's very high risk (much higher risk than my mom theoretically was since my sister has a BRCA mutation and my mom doesn't)...

my sister has had small cell lung cancer (5 years ago) and ovarian cancer (2 years ago and 1 year ago)...

both the small cell lung cancer and the ovarian cancer were due to the BRCA mutation...and both have just recently come back....

anyway....i was wandering around the board and noticed this thread...

 

[lookingforward]

Welcome Disneyholic! I am so glad your mom is doing so well! Your sister sounds like she has been through a tough time! I am semi-regular poster since I am just finishing up treatment for stage 2 breast cancer. Its been wonderful to have the girls and guys from this thread to see me through the darker hours!

GAGWTA!