Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part III - GAGWTA!

[luvmarypoppins]

Good afternoon ladies

Laurie Yeah for the Saints!! Bet you all are still partying and celebrating!!

Lisa (Honu) - Hope you are o.k. Long time, no post. I know you are busy with your upcoming surgery and veterans, drop in when you can sista!!

Ann - that fundraiser sounded great. Glad you had a good time.

Well still dont know if we are going to the game tonight. Dh is really busy. Havent gotten the mail to see if ds got the letter from college yet. We dodged the bullet and the snow storm missed us on sturday, yippee!!, but they are predicting from 7-12 inches on wed. morning and dh has a guy flying in from New Zealand, I am sure that will be fun or a disaster in the making. We are going to the grocery store tonight to get a jump on the tues. mad rush etc.

GTAGWTA. Have a great day everyone. Blessings always.

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

Hello Ladies,

I hope everyone is doing well today. I hope to get some advice from you wonderful women. I have phlebitis in the arm where the chemo infusion was given last week. I ended up going to the doctor for it this morning because I had a red streak going up my arm from the needle stick in my hand to almost my elbow and I thought it might be an infection. It's very painful, hot, itchy. So I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this - how long it lasted and if there was anything you did for it that helped. (The doctor said rest and ibuprofen which I don't want to take, the chemo is enough to be on and that it would last about a month ). So now my right arm veins have complete and permanent clots in three of them and now the left side has this - any future IV's will have to be done in my neck .

Thanks for any information or advice. Have a great week everyone.

 

[snappy]

Oh my, I am so sorry to hear about the clots. I am sure you are both in pain and apprehensive.

I am more aware of lymphedema, but not plebitis.

Anyone else here that can weigh in?

 

[CherylDan]

Sorry, KJ, I don't have any advice....I had a port, so no experience with what you are dealing with. I hope it starts feeling better soon!

Did you have a super bowl party Laurie?

How's everybody doing today? Anybody burried in snow? We are looking at 6-12 the next few days, nothing compared to the east coast.

DH & I leave for Vegas Friday to see Garth Brooks. I'm so stinkin excited I can hardly stand it!!! DD20 is going to stay home all weekend with the new puppy and Charlie. She's gonna have her hands full, silly puppy still has her days and nights mixed up. But she makes up for it with cuteness!

GAGWTA!!!!

Here's a pic of LuLu....

 

[snappy]

No party, Cheryl, but we yelled and screamed so much after the onside kick at the beginning of the second half and then when the young player Porter from right across the river from us caught the interception and ran back for the touchdown we again were so loud our doggies got scared.

I didn't believe you could find another dog as cute as the first, but now I think you have Thanks for posting the picture.


Enjoy Vegas and your concert. I hope it is warm ther for you!

 

[wdw4us2]

KJ - Sorry you're having so much trouble with clots. I have a port, so I can't relate. I'm surprised the doctor told you to take ibuprofen because my oncologist wouldn't allow me to take any anti-inflammatory drugs during my chemo. Something about the chemo not adhering to blood cells properly. I hope you find some relief soon - it sounds painful.

Not much going on here. I'm slowly regaining strength and just waiting for my digestive system to fully recover from the last chemo. Gets better every day.

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

I can't take aspirin but the oncologist said tylenol was okay. However, I don't want to take anything unless I have to so right now I'm just putting up with the pain and itching. We have so many chemicals in our body from the infusions that I don't like to take any additional meds unless it's necessary. The only thing I took was some anti nausea drugs the first 48 hours after chemo and then nothing more until the next round. As long as I know the pain is supposed to be there I can withstand a lot of it. I never took any pain meds after surgery either. But everyone is different and I can see where people would need them.

I hope you start feeling much better after your chemo session. Keep up the fight!!!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Hi Ladies

KJ - no advice, just a . I hope you get this resolved and that you heal quickly

Fl Lisa - hope you are regaining your strength and remember you have that great trip to look forward to.

Keep on fighting strong ladies!!

Laurie - hope you are healing too.

Cheryl - have a great time at the concert. I know you will be on.

Well we didnt go to the game as dh had to work and guess what..yup Ds finally WON one!! and we had to miss it. I told dh my total upsetness about it plus it was the last home game, so there is no do over,make up etc. I dont inow why dh just cant say no sometimes. It just makes me really upset. I also told him you cant get this time back etc. I told him if I had some transportation I would have taken myself which I have always done in the past, sigh, sigh. Oh and we are getting 12-18 inches of snow. Yeah, I had to go grocery shopping like 9 pm, needless to say I am not a happy camper. Tonight is our meeting. Maybe I should get some more bread if the ds are home. They might raid the food. Ds wants the newspaper to see the game etc. Oh and ds20 now says his eye is getting worse. He has kerataconus in it and the dr. said he might have to have a cornea transplant if it gets really bad. I am thinking of taking him to a new dr. at the univ. hosp.

GTAGWTA. Thinking of you all.

 

[snappy]

Hi Ladies

KJ - no advice, just a . I hope you get this resolved and that you heal quickly

Fl Lisa - hope you are regaining your strength and remember you have that great trip to look forward to.

Keep on fighting strong ladies!!

Laurie - hope you are healing too.

Cheryl - have a great time at the concert. I know you will be on.

Well we didnt go to the game as dh had to work and guess what..yup Ds finally WON one!! and we had to miss it. I told dh my total upsetness about it plus it was the last home game, so there is no do over,make up etc. I dont inow why dh just cant say no sometimes. It just makes me really upset. I also told him you cant get this time back etc. I told him if I had some transportation I would have taken myself which I have always done in the past, sigh, sigh. Oh and we are getting 12-18 inches of snow. Yeah, I had to go grocery shopping like 9 pm, needless to say I am not a happy camper. Tonight is our meeting. Maybe I should get some more bread if the ds are home. They might raid the food. Ds wants the newspaper to see the game etc. Oh and ds20 now says his eye is getting worse. He has kerataconus in it and the dr. said he might have to have a cornea transplant if it gets really bad. I am thinking of taking him to a new dr. at the univ. hosp.

GTAGWTA. Thinking of you all.

MaryAnn, you so very right about not being able to get this time back. I am seeing this more each day. I managed to miss most of the games DD14 cheered at, now I found out basketball season is over. she only cheered at 2 games!

I am making a conscious effort to focus more on DD14. I cnanot believe that this school year will soon be coming to a close, and then on to high school.

Trying to heal and trying to catch up at work has really set me back.

Oh, the board members today decided bingo is not working out.

Thank goodness. I am having a celebratory Blue Moon. LOL. We don't need much of an excuse down here for a party, do we?

I can't say I will miss it but I do feel bad for our main bingo caller. I think we may hold on to her as a receptionist although she is not very adept at it. Just not good at managing her time or with details. It drives me crazy sometimes but hey, I am 56, I will be there in the not so distant future.

Tomorrow I am starting back at the gym. It has taken me a week to figure out I left everything in my locker at the gym. I was searching for my gym bag with all my stuff. Maybe exercise will get some blood circulation started in my brain.

I am wishing I was at the parade in New Orleans. At least I know a lot of people there and will receive a full report.

A on the west bank of the river across from the French quarter had a big block party during the Superbowl. It was a nice fairly warm night and they took it outside, even with a big projection screen. We should have gone down there, as I said before.

I believe we will go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras weekend, at least for some parades. If we stay with my friend Cindy we can catch the ferry across the river and avoid the parking hassle.

DH and DD14 are both BIG parade lovers. I kinda got enough parades in after living 17 years about a block from the suburban parade route in Jefferson parish.

But in my new spirit of doing more with DD14, we will be catching some beads.

Hey, throw me something, mister!!

 

[CherylDan]

Laurie, here's to catching lots of beads!

LMP, sounds like you are getting the snow that just left us! Stay safe. Sorry to hear you missed the game.

KJ, how's your arm today?

Lisa, good to hear you're feeling better day by day. It just takes time. You'll get there!

Interesting night last night....went to bed with the blizzard going on, and got woke up at 4am by a (very mild) earthquake! LOL, all's well today, sun is shining.

GAGWTA!!!

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

My arm is worse today. And the other one has another hard clot in another vein - that makes four in all. They keep showing up and that vein hasn't been used in four weeks now. Today was the first day that I've felt defeated. I've been upbeat and positive from day one but today - not so much. Must be really tired.

I hope everyone is safe and warm from the storm. And hopefully there was very minor damage from the earthquake. We have relatives that live in and around Chicago area. I don't want to call until later today - figured phone lines would be pretty busy for most of the day.

GAGWTA!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

GAGWTA

Have been dealing with a bunch of medical and other issues with various family members for several months now. Pretty overwhelmed. Nothing majorly serious.

Following along and wishing you all well.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My arm is worse today. And the other one has another hard clot in another vein - that makes four in all. They keep showing up and that vein hasn't been used in four weeks now. Today was the first day that I've felt defeated. I've been upbeat and positive from day one but today - not so much. Must be really tired.

I'm sorry this is happening and so upsetting. Have been a nurse for a very long time (as well as never had a port myself) and have never heard of anything like this. If it were me, I'd probably want to see a doctor who specializes in deep vein thrombosis. My concern would be that these clots could become more serious if small pieces broke off and traveled elsewhere in your body. I would think that the need for anticoagulation might be a possiblity, but that would be determined by such a doc. You might want to self-refer if it's not being taken seriously. And if it makes you feel better, ports can have major problems also (which is why I declined, saw too many things over the years, including a death of a young patient port clot related), so don't beat yourself up for not getting one. Nobody had a crystal ball so you made the best decision you could at the time. Now just make sure it's ok for your health to have these clots in your arm, ok sista?

 

[snappy]

Thanks for addressing the clot issue, Linda. I was hoping you and Sha would be around.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

One word ladies..SNOW!!

KJ - So sorry to hear about your arm. I hope you can get the help you need with this and be able to heal.

Linda - hope all your family/medical issues work out. You are always so swet to give good advice. Hmm, what should I ask the surgeon on monday? Something like - based on your surgery etc. what do you think my prognosis is etc?

Laurie - What, no bingo!! Say it aint so sista. Have a great time at the parades

Cheryl - wow, an earthquake! I hope you are all o.k. Worst thing I ever went through was a few tornados when we lived in Texas, really scary.

Barbara,Anne and Linda - are you getting the snow too?

Well we have about 14 inches of snow right now and it hasnt stopped. Everyone was home today and everyone except ds22 may be home tomm. Dh meetings have been postponed as the guys are stuck in California with no flights into NY today etc. DH has a delayed opening tomm. DS 18 classmate heard from the college and he got accepted but is much more smarter than ds so we may be hearing soon.

GTAGWTA, Thinking of you all.

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

I'm sorry this is happening and so upsetting. Have been a nurse for a very long time (as well as never had a port myself) and have never heard of anything like this. If it were me, I'd probably want to see a doctor who specializes in deep vein thrombosis. My concern would be that these clots could become more serious if small pieces broke off and traveled elsewhere in your body. I would think that the need for anticoagulation might be a possiblity, but that would be determined by such a doc. You might want to self-refer if it's not being taken seriously. And if it makes you feel better, ports can have major problems also (which is why I declined, saw too many things over the years, including a death of a young patient port clot related), so don't beat yourself up for not getting one. Nobody had a crystal ball so you made the best decision you could at the time. Now just make sure it's ok for your health to have these clots in your arm, ok sista?

Thank you so much for the insight. It's much appreciated. The oncologist said the clots were fine but now a bigger one just developed so I like your idea of seeing someone who specializes in DVT. At least it would be a second opinion. Again - thank you, thank you, thank you. Having some advice from those who have been there or have expertise helps so much. Any specialists are a 4 hour round trip for me so it's not like I can just run out to the doctor. Although I am going to look into the specialist.

Well it's off to a day of doctor's appointments. I try to make several at a time since it's a bit of a drive -

to everyone.

GAGWTA!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Yes, we have snow issues, too (although it's the norm for us this time of year, pretty much). Yesterday schools let out early in anticpation of a foot of snow in the afternoon, but an unexpected layer of warm air (according to weather people CYA maybe?) blew in and turned it to rain so it was a complete bust. http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma.../11/northeaster_pulls_punch_fakes_out_region/ It's sunny and pretty out now, but that could change on a dime.

I get so tired of the weather this time of year. I'm glad that DH didn't have to snow blow yesterday as last month his back issue (which began last winter when he slipped on a shoe on the stairs if anyone remembers that one) flared during that storm's cleanup and he had to get a steroid injection again as he couldn't walk. He's been under a lot of stress lately as his business is physically moving to a new place and he's currently in a temporary location working crazy hours. He's exhausted and has been in pain. Prior to his finding out suddenly he had to move, we'd toyed around with a quick trip this week (today, actually ) down to the World, but he can't get the time off right now. So I'm living vicariously through all of you. We so need a vacation right now.

Cheryl, love the pup. How are things going?

lmp, I'm not sure outside what we talked about a few weeks ago. I think your situation is so unusual/rare that they might not be able to give you a clear answer. But I think you should presume the best possible outcome. Why not?

 

[snappy]

Even down here in the boonies we are expecting snow/sleet. Who would have thunk it? This is pretty unusual for the weekend before Mardi Gras. this year though I don't think anything will dappen the mood.

Stay safe everyone in this weather. Are schools closed? How in the world do you drive?

Good thing the Saints parade rolled on Tuesday. Tomorrow night I am expecting everything will be cancelled at least in Baton Rouge, New Orleans parades may roll anyway since they are bigger, more $$ spent and it becomes impossible to reschedule this late in the game. The saints parade was bigger than any regular Mardi Gras parade. We have some real heroes in town now not to mention a new mayor. I am hopeful things are turning around, especially since 2 of our offspring live there most of the year.

Did y'all see pictures of the quarterback, Bress in a parde in Disneyworld on Monday. It was a beautiful clear day and Main Street looked so very good. There are some pictures of it on a blog on the Dis on the home page.

Glad you have a plan, KJ. I just knew you would receive some good advice here.

LMP, keep that chin up. Be direct with the surgeon. I find with some docs, you hae a short window to really ask so you ahve to be ready. I like that you are planning your questions beforehand. I also write mine down.

Linda, sorry you had to skip the quick trip. How does March sound?
I hope the shot helps your husband, but with those hours and the stress, I would think this would take a while.

Thinking of you all trying to deal with treatment and the weather as well. It is no cake walk.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Congrats on the Saints win, Laurie. We were rooting for them (even though we're not huge football fans).

March is out as DH will be moving into his new location then and they have a lot of work ahead of them there. It's fine, we'll make it back eventually. We're still busy working around the house. They were scheduled to start our sunroom next week, but of course, now there's a holdup from the town end. I'm enjoying my new kitchen tremendously.

Speaking of snow, I meant to answer you a while back when I posted some snow pics. You'd asked how the snow gets up on the door and windows like that. Answer: wind. Blizzard conditions involve lots of snow and blowing wind, and the snow winds up on the sides of the house. That's when you know it's really bad.

I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but we had what we now refer to of the Blizzard of 78 back in February of 1978. If you were here then, you remember it. I'll see if I can find a link so you can see what that was like. We were talking about it yesterday. It was several years before I met DH, but even back then he volunteered to drive doctors and nurses to their jobs at the local hospital in his Jeep. I always thought that was a little ironic, don't you think?

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/blizzard_of_78/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeastern_United_States_blizzard_of_1978

 

[snappy]

You may be missing out on crawfish ettoufee then! I am thinking about whipping up a batch to freeze and bring with us to the Bonnet Creek in March.

Ok then, what about May?

I'll also be there in October most likely for the RFTC. We never seem to be on the same schedule, Linda.

We'll make football fans out of you yet!

Seriously, I saw a nice number of saints games back in the day (my employer's office downtown New Orleans was directly across from the superdome and there were lots of tickets given out by my employer) and I even parked in the dome parking lot in the later years when I was part time and did not have a parking space inside our building. My DH and I even walked around the superdome at lunch for exercise when he worked downtown too. I suspect DD14 was the wonderful result of our togetherness during that very happy period when he was not working so much and we spent more time together.

However, in my even older age, I have not even been to a single LSU game since we moved to Baton Rouge although we can see the LSU stadium from the front of our subdivision, that is how close it is.

It is just such an effort to leave after LSU home games with the ridiculous traffic. The LSU stadium holds like 90,000 and when they are partying and especially when they are leaving the stadium after a close game, I like to stay safe and sound in my house. I may or may not watch on tv.

I am one of the few in the city that are like this. We have some rabid LSU fans.

I am becoming an old fogey. Give me a rocking chair and put me out to pasture. It is a true wonder I am working. I think it is the one thing that is keeping me the least bit sharp.

That is unbelievable amounts of snow. Truly, I cannot imagine. I lived one winter in Ohip, I actually think it was 1976 during one of their record cold years. It was enough for me. I believe you get conditioned to warmer or colder climates and it is very difficult to cross the line.