Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part III - GAGWTA!

[snappy]

This is MaryAnn and me in the Poly lobby.

Loved the visit we had there, what a beautiful setting for a meet, so relaxing sitting in comfortable chairs with live entertainment in the background.

It was a great day. Before our meet I got some nice pictures of the orchids inside and the resort in general.

 

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Pictures from our great graduation dinner at the California Grill:

Arriving at the contemporary:

DD19 and DD14 in Cali Grill:

The graduates, DD14 and her friend:

The group:

 

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Finally got a sort of decent picture of the Ivy lady in AK:

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

GAGWTA, Ladies!

Laurie, I can't believe you are going to get here just as we leave! Mesquite is just up the road. Enjoy the wedding!
Thanks for posting the pics - you and Maryann look lovely!
Your DDs are gorgeous! Glad everyone enjoyed the graduation celebration!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good afternoon ladies

Sha - wow, sorry you had so many problems on the trip and had to miss La Nouba. I would be pretty upset about that too. And I think your co worker should share in the time off and scheduling during holidays too. That seems fair enough.

Laurie - I am jealous of you. I love, love, love Mesquite, Hmm, primarily 1. The Rodeo there 2. The Traildust Steakhouse of course (if you get a chance check it out, just dont wear a tie for the guys) and 3. The Mall of course!! And yes, I do love teaching. I have only done 3 years up to 6 grade. I only do it at church.

Elizabeth - I left you a post on your pre trip report thread. I cant wait to read about your trip. Its always so fun and detailed and full of pictures. I should have listened to you about Narcooses...terrible!! Joint consensus from dh and I!!

Anne - I am jelous of your fishing. I actually enjoy fishing, but have never done fly. Hope you have a great trip too. Are you eating anywhere special. Can you tell I am obsessed with Disney food.

MinnieTink - I should have said on your other thread that you would probably check with your town lst and see when they can reasses the place. That usually happens only once a year, hence no more pool equals lowered property value etc. That is the way it works here anyway. And if you put in a pool thats inground it goes up etc. Here above ground pools dont count.

Well ds22 graduates tomm. Wow, it should be a good day if we dont get the thunderstorms like they are predicting. Its at a collesium so I might go for the handicapped seating. I cant do alot of stairs for sure. Then wed. ds18 will pick out the comm. college classes.

And you all can tell from the picture that I am the one with half a neck missing. Yeah Laurie got to see it all!!

We will have a barbeque when ds18 gets home from lifeguarding, he is actually suppose to be a pool attendant today. The people told him that last year they had 2 russian girls from the state univ. oh yeah, the place ds just wanted to hear about) and they said all the single guys there kept drinking with them and paying, um too much attention to them etc. So they liked ds, sorry but he has another pool etc.

Well a week from today I think I can make my adrs for our december trip. I dont know where to go. I definetely want the candelight at Le Cellier or Tutto. I dont think we will do the dining plan. Its a hassle. I am thinking of doing Shulas for dh and maybe flying fish and maybe Citricos, so I can enjoy the decorations there too. I have to do a little plan soon. I also think LTT just for the pot roast.

GTAGWTA. Blessings to you all.

 

[snappy]

LMP, we even lived in Mesquite for two years in the early 60's when my dad went into partnership with one of his brothers.

We used to go back regularly when my dad's parent's were alive, up until 1984. We go more infrequently now, more for the occasional family reunion, my surviving uncle's 50th wedding anniversay, my other uncle's funeral and the like.

We are looking forward to a happy occasion this time, thank goodness. DH can't make the trip, our older two children will be working in New Orleans, so DD14 and I are going to hitch a ride with my sister and her DH in their roomy Sienna van. My sister does not travel far in one day so we are stopping on the way. I am not particularly looking forward to the drive after the long 12 hour trek home from Orlando but at least Mesquite is closer.

We did the rodeo there as a part of our very fun family reunion I think in 2000. My DD19 who was 9 at the time and my dd14 who was 4 at the time were almost traumatized by the calf roping.

We just ordered some furniture for DD19's apartment at rooms to go. She could only fit a double in her smallish room so we shopped on the children's side. They had an awesome sleigh bed with a big drawer/trundle drawer underneath that reminded me of the beds my New Orleans friend Cindy had made for her small extra bedroms in her camel back house.

It will give DD19 instant storage that won't take up room. I think we shocked her that we spent so much but it beats searching for a separate chest or dresser and she really doesn't have a lot of room for those pieces anyway. I was going to give her my hope chest but maybe she won't need it and we won't have to try and move it upstairs in their rental house.

Getting things done and loving it.

We had a great meal at Mama Rosa's in Hollywood Studios, Maryann and it was reasonable.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good afternoon ladies

Hmm, what is new around here...well we have our lst college graduate!!

The ceremony was nice, but long yesterday. It started with bagpipes. We sat high up facing the stage. Ds 2 and 3 went lower to get pictures. They misprounounced ds name to the girl version but corected themselves. He graduated...cumme laude with departmental honors and 3 honor societies. We are so proud of him!! Later I ran into one of the girls moms from hs we knew. She always called me. I said thank you for praying for me. She said...whats wrong with your voice??? Wow, jsut what I wanted to hear. Nothing like a friendly cancer reminder on such a happy day. She did say she will e mail ds18 his prom pictures. She was the official photographer. It was alot of walking for me, not good. We just got pictures in and then the heavens opened up. It was a bad drive home. We stopped at the restraunt where ds20 Emily works. She kissed him good bye, oh and I got to meet ds22 girl/friend. She seems sweet and nice. Didnt talk long as the storm was right there above us.

Ds 20 is taking ds18 to register for classes today. We drove past the college yest and he says, oh that is where I am going. Not a happy voice for sure. Seemed utterly depressed, sigh, sigh.

Ds 22 asked me why ds20 was so mean to mean this morning, hmm, I guess that is the big question. I dont think I will ever figure it out, oh well.

I will be going to a funeral viewing, when we get the plans. An older lady from church died.

Hope all of you are doing well.

Fl Lisa - thinking of you and all your testing this week.

GTAGWTA.

 

[wdw4us2]

LMP - Congrats to your college grad! You must be so proud.

Laurie - I enjoyed the pics you posted from your WDW trip. It looks like you had a lot of fun. Glad you and MaryAnn could meet.

Sha - Sorry you are having issues with someone at work. It's especially annoying when it interferes with your plans!

I had the PETscan today. It was uneventful, thankfully. Gynecology surgical consult on Friday morning and then I'm free of doctors until next Friday - hooray!

DD is such a sweetheart. She went to Olive Garden and got me breadsticks and Pasta e Fagioli soup and had it waiting for me when I got home from the hospital. I really appreciated the carbs!

 

[snappy]

Mary,Ann, congratulations on your oldest son's accomplishments!

I love the sound of bagpipes.

Glad you got to meet the girlfriend.

It sounds like your oldest son gets that the middle one is out of line. Wish he could have some influence on his younger brother. Since the oldest is definitely on the right track, perhaps he could gently talk to the younger one?

Sorry it rained so much on the big day. We seem to be in the rainy season here too. No need to waterthe plants or the lawn for a while.

Lisa, how considerate of your daughter.

I am not sure whether to leave to go to the wedding tomorrow or not. I caught a lighter version of DH's upper respiratory thing, sore throat yesterday so I skipped work to "rest." Instead I cleaned and washed, although the lady who cleans did a little the day before. She must have been trying to fit in 2 clients that day though, things did not smell as clean as usual. My sense of smell never did return fully, and maybe it is further compromised by the upper respiratory thing.

I am not coughing and have no congestion so I am on the fence. I really don't want to take the chance of giving it to my mom and her sister and husband so that is my real dilemna.

Gotta decide tonight.

DD14 is back from her San Antonio youth group trip. She was a tired puppy last night. I bet she is not so anxious to get back on the road to Mesquite, although I would be the van is more comfortable than that chartered bus.

DD19 is in another apartment owned by her landlord until the cleaning, painting and all are done on the one she will be sharing next year. It is a shame her new place was not in move in condition. I know it is difficult not to be fully settled. Her boyfriend is coming in on June 10th, I am sure he can help her get all the boxes in, although he will have to move in to his new place as well. It sounded like he was going to rent a truck to move his furniture and all in. It is more complicated in an apartment than the dorms although it is easier with us being only an hour and a half away from New Orleans.

We will be making lots of trips in the near future as she could only fit less than half of her stuff on the first go round.

Happy planning, Elizabeth. You must be on cloud nine, getting ready. You are such a good planner.

I am working on plans for the Orlando race for the cure. I found out yesterday by emailing the Komen group in Orlando that the race is on Sunday, Oct 17. It is not posted to the website yet.

I am just going with my friend Cindy, and we were originally thinking of staying at the Waldorf but the prices are crazy high for the time. Surely they will come down a bit. I checked with DVC and the only studios available for the nights I want are at Saratoga Springs which I don't care for. We may end up back at the Wyndham bonnet creek. I sure liked that 3 bedroom.

I got some good pictures of that resort. I will have to try and post some. If you have a car, which we will have, it is a very good option.

GAGWTA!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good afternoon ladies

Lisa - glad you survived the PET scan. That was so sweet of your dd to get you the food.

Laurie - wow, you have alot on your plate right now too. I hope you feel well enough to go on the trip to the wedding. Glad your dd had a good trip to San Antonio too. Of course I love it there too, the Riverwalk, Alamo, Sea World, Fiesta Texas, bluebonnets etc. Hope things get settled with your dds apt. Wow, even young adults ae expensive!!

Well ds20 endured 3 hours of ds18 registering for classes. Ds20 told me he had to listen to a lady tell him all about her 5 failed in vitro attempts. Feel sad for her, but does she"have "to share that with ds. Ds went to rate my professor.com to check them all out. The only switch he wants to make is a gym class.

Elizabeth - hope you have a great trip too. Cant wait to read all about it.

We will be going to the funeral viewing on sat. Its suppose to storm here throughout the week end, so I dont know how ds lifeguard stuff will work out.

GTAGWTA. Have a great day everyone.

 

[momoftwins]

First, my prayers and hopes to all of you battling a terrible disease. I hope you will permit my post. My mom was just diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She is suffering with end-stage COPD, so this will indeed be an uphill battle for her.

We are not a rich family and I help pay for a lot of my mom's care. Her doctor told her to drink Ensure. I have checked the usual places online (drugstore.com, cvs.com, walgreens.com, etc) and boy are the prices expensive.

I would appreciate any info on where I could possibly order for a discounted price. Also, does anyone know where I might get coupons? I am in PA and she is in Florida, so it is often hard to gather info from her.

Thanks and god bless.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Welcome, momoftwins!

I am sorry to hear of your mom's diagnosis. It is hard to try to coordinate care from out of state!

I would Google for coupons. I would also contact your mom's Dr. and see if they know of anywhere to get Ensure at a discount. Call a social worker at the hospital where she is receiving treatment and see if they have any resources for you.

Contact the manufacturer and see if they have any sort of program for folks to get the product at a reduced cost (like the drug companies have).

Would your mom qualify for assistance through Meals on Wheels or a similar organization? I don't know if they even have Ensure, but you could check. Also see if the American Cancer Society website has links to services near your mom. I did that when my mom had breast cancer and it was really helpful. You will be able to determine what is close to her and what those places might be able to help with.

Best of luck to you and your mom!!

 

[momoftwins]

My mom did ask her social worker if she can get meals on wheels. We are awaiting info from them. Good idea about contacting the manufacturer, I can do that from PA. I never thought of the American Cancer Society site. That is an excellent suggestion.

Thank you for all your input. It was very helpful.

Welcome, momoftwins!

I am sorry to hear of your mom's diagnosis. It is hard to try to coordinate care from out of state!

I would Google for coupons. I would also contact your mom's Dr. and see if they know of anywhere to get Ensure at a discount. Call a social worker at the hospital where she is receiving treatment and see if they have any resources for you.

Contact the manufacturer and see if they have any sort of program for folks to get the product at a reduced cost (like the drug companies have).

Would your mom qualify for assistance through Meals on Wheels or a similar organization? I don't know if they even have Ensure, but you could check. Also see if the American Cancer Society website has links to services near your mom. I did that when my mom had breast cancer and it was really helpful. You will be able to determine what is close to her and what those places might be able to help with.

Best of luck to you and your mom!!

 

[snappy]

Have fun Elizabeth!!!!!

 

[snappy]

First, my prayers and hopes to all of you battling a terrible disease. I hope you will permit my post. My mom was just diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She is suffering with end-stage COPD, so this will indeed be an uphill battle for her.

We are not a rich family and I help pay for a lot of my mom's care. Her doctor told her to drink Ensure. I have checked the usual places online (drugstore.com, cvs.com, walgreens.com, etc) and boy are the prices expensive.

I would appreciate any info on where I could possibly order for a discounted price. Also, does anyone know where I might get coupons? I am in PA and she is in Florida, so it is often hard to gather info from her.

Thanks and god bless.

Not sure what is available in you mother's area but we have a non-profit here called Cancer Services which I found out about from a fellow survivor.

They help with supplies.

 

[Sha]

Yes, Lauries's girls are so pretty! Hope you get over that cold. Mom just had one... I stayed away from her.

And yes, my coworker needs to share on some of the Holidays. Her wedding anniversary is Memorial day and I hate to bust her bubble but it appears that my 25th HS reunion is that weekend next year and Im going.

My friend K. had her surgery yesterday. Havent heard much but it appeared to be stage 1. I will wait for pathology and hope there was no lymphnode involvement. I still dont know more of what it was other than uterine. If only they listened to her wishes years ago... she wouldnt be going through this.

Momoftwins your mom might meet needs for home health. And maybe have an aide to help with bathing and personal care. Physical therapy can be done for safety and some strengthening... or to show you how to help her transfer better to safe energy. And a nurse to teach about medications, monitor treatments and help with other things that come up with some of the treatments she might get.

LMP congrats on the graduation. I liked the picture of you and Laurie. Which reminds me... I havent seen the one of Lisa and I.

Elizabeth... what are your dates again? I am pretty sure its while I am away.

 

[Sha]

OH my... though I lost that post! I dont stay logged in at work and it said I was idle too long.... whew

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good afternoon ladies

momoftwins - My heart goes out to your mom. I know what you mean about the weight loss, I lost 50lbs. at first. Does it have to be ensure? Could it be something compatible like boost? Have you talked to the nutrition dept. at the hosp. I had a nutritionist who just worked with the cancer patients. Also I know when my grandma was in a nursing home they had a big container of the supplement stuff. But I dont know if they supply that to institutions only. Also try a few to check out the flavors. She might prefer one to another etc. Wishing her all the best.

Laurie - hope you get to go on the trip


Elizabeth - have a great and magical time!!

Sha - So did you notice the neck dissection, um the big cavernous space on me?? I thought you would find that fascinating as a nurse

Fl Lisa - hope all goes well for you today

Minnie Tink - Happy Birthday again, even though I said it on your other thread!!

O.K. strange me cooked dinner this morning I find that is when I have most energy lately. I think I need a B12 blood test check etc. I have reverted to taking a small nap in the afternoon so something might not be right there. Also my neck has been killing me on and off lately. It feels so tight and stretched. Oh the joys of cancer!!

Ds18 cant change his course on line and also the computer system is down for a week, so he has to go next friday in person I think. The funeral viewing is tomm. I hate going to those things lately. I guess if I didnt have my near death experience last year I might be a little better with it. But its good to support the people etc.

GTAGWTA. Have a great week end everyone.

 

[Sha]

I have let my patients decide between Boost, Ensure and Carnation Instant Breakfast (the Carnation is my choice myself).

LPM I did, but honestly thought it was the angle of the shot.

 

[momoftwins]

Thanks for the help. My mom does like Boost, so I will start checking prices for that. I got a note today from Abbott Labs that they have sent a bunch of coupons to my mom. Something is better than nothing.

I am going to contact the hospital in Orlando and speak with a social worker. Perhaps they can point out some services. It is hard though trying to do this all from Pennsylvania.

Blessings to all.

Good afternoon ladies

momoftwins - My heart goes out to your mom. I know what you mean about the weight loss, I lost 50lbs. at first. Does it have to be ensure? Could it be something compatible like boost? Have you talked to the nutrition dept. at the hosp. I had a nutritionist who just worked with the cancer patients. Also I know when my grandma was in a nursing home they had a big container of the supplement stuff. But I dont know if they supply that to institutions only. Also try a few to check out the flavors. She might prefer one to another etc. Wishing her all the best.

Laurie - hope you get to go on the trip


Elizabeth - have a great and magical time!!

Sha - So did you notice the neck dissection, um the big cavernous space on me?? I thought you would find that fascinating as a nurse

Fl Lisa - hope all goes well for you today

Minnie Tink - Happy Birthday again, even though I said it on your other thread!!

O.K. strange me cooked dinner this morning I find that is when I have most energy lately. I think I need a B12 blood test check etc. I have reverted to taking a small nap in the afternoon so something might not be right there. Also my neck has been killing me on and off lately. It feels so tight and stretched. Oh the joys of cancer!!

Ds18 cant change his course on line and also the computer system is down for a week, so he has to go next friday in person I think. The funeral viewing is tomm. I hate going to those things lately. I guess if I didnt have my near death experience last year I might be a little better with it. But its good to support the people etc.

GTAGWTA. Have a great week end everyone.