Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part III - GAGWTA!

[lookingforward]

Hi everyone! It has been a long time since I have even logged on to disboards and I have missed you a lot!! I am trying to catch up with everyone's news and just want to quickly send my love to those who are in treatment or who have had challenges. You are in my prayers.

I have had a bunch of challenges and have made some life changes. I have developed some serious nueropothy in my feet and hands, was in the hospital with another cellulitis infection in my lymph node area and have just been a bit down about everything. I gave my two week notice at work so that I can spend some quality time with my son before he leaves for the coast guard. I have to get my vitamin levels up and try and get back my strength. So a few months off will be really good for me. Its scary to quit a job in this economy and I am up for another BETTER job, so I am praying every day that it comes to me. My current job was just too much stress and too much angst but still, after 7 years, it is heartbreaking to leave!

I hope that you forgive me for my absence, but you all have never been far from my thoughts. My kids are THRIVING, my daughter is performing all over the place and recently was called back for billy elliot on broadway, so big things are happening for her.

 

[lookingforward]

Glad your DH is back home. Going to China again in April? That is one traveling man!

Great GPA! Hope your son gets good news on acceptance this time out!

We do have lots of "events" around this area to participate in.
We are close enough to hit all the festivals in the New Orleans area if work doesn't interfere. We had to avoid the parade route here in Baton Rouge yesterday and the Metairie parade route today in the NOLA area. A little tricky but we have many years of experience in "going the back way" since we lived half a block from the Metairie parade route for 17 years before we moved "north", and anyways at least the NOLA parade today that we skirted was a minor one at best.

We ended up skipping Friendship day in Algiers pointe today with my friend Cindy and instead went to take my MIL and two SIL and our son to a nice seafood lunch down by Lake Pontchartrain. Had a great shrimp poboy.

Lovely day for a ride. Nice views of the lake today. I like when DH is driving and I can kick back, listen to my music.

I could not pin my friend down yesterday on which trip(s) she was committing to. I may go solo some which I don't particularly relish. We "negotiated" since I traded her about 7 unused bathings suits I had bought when a department store went out of business right after Katrina for her going back to Disney with me. She is not a big park person but we sure had fun at the restaurants and bars!

I am thinking food and wine festival would be right up her alley!!!!! She is also very into live music which you can also usually track down in Epcot.

MaryAnn, you make dining plans for May yet?

I am trying to visit when Barbara is there. Ann, how about some "hankie waving," er. . . make that second lining to some jazz if we can find it?

Sha, when are you going?

GAGWTA!

MISS YOU!!!!!!

 

[lookingforward]

No good news today. Cancer has spread to an area between my intestines. 3cm. I guess the good news would be that it is not showing up in any organs. I start chemo next Tues, part of a clinical trial. Apparently there is *some* chance of it shrinking, and surgery may be a possiblity at that time. When I asked how long the chemo treatments would be, I was told indefinitely.....he thinks probably 1 to 1 1/2 yrs, and if it is no longer working at that point, they will start something different. I think the most disturbing part is that there isn't a set number of treatments. No countdown to the end of treatment. I'm pretty sure it hasn't really even sunk in yet. Seems like a really bad joke. Especially since I'm feeling fine, no systems. Seems I have one week left to enjoy that.

I am sending you my thoughts and prayers.

 

[snappy]

Maureen, I have been wondering how you are! I saw a pm from you in my inbox that reminded me of when DD15 and I met you, your DH, and your younger son and your daughter. Has it been 4 years now? Impossible. The kids had fund together at EPCOT as I recall. How is that hunk of a son? It sounds like your older son is doing well, too, is he the one off to the coast guard?

I am not surprised your daughter is thriving. You are a fantastic mom.

I am sorry you have had complication (cancer sucks), but applaud you taking things into your own hands and making changes. I bet your kids are excited about having you at home more. And how is your sweet DH?

I hope the better job comes through for you. I know your career is important to you and you have worked hard to get where you are.

Maybe if your health allows, we can meet again at WDW?

 

[snappy]

Merry, glad you are able to post those nice, sexy posts from your iphone. I think that the way Apple, in its great wisdom, corrects your spelling for you as you type (I guess I assume you are using an iphone, here), is a double edged sword at best.

I had a minor disaster when sending a text to our DD20 last week. We had finally managed to pull off getting a hard wire connection to our big LED tv in our bedroom for the purpose of watching movies via Netflix last week. We had trouble finding a movie we wanted to see (we have little patience) but found The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I settled down with a glass of nice French wine, and was texting DD20, asking her to guess which movie we were going to see (she loved that movie). The demon in my iphone refused to let me type in the title of this movie correctly. You probably see where this is going, but I hit send before checking the spelling one last time (I am sure it was not the fault of me OR the great French wine), but the text ended up telling DD that the movie was the Curious Case of Benjamin Buttocks!

I made matters worse by telling her I had trouble "texting". Everytime right before I hit send, Apple changed texting to testing.

DD20 enjoyed my frustration to no end.

Anyone on this thread knows I type too fast and make lots of typos regularly.

Just remember though-for your own safety-Apple thinks it is funny to change your words to ones you might not choose to send out.

Just a little word to the wise, espcially the wine lovers out there.

GAGWTA!

 

[lookingforward]

Has it really been 4 years??? My son Ray (the one you met) is the one going into the coast guard! He graduates high school this May. He got a signing bonus and is very excited to be joining. He will also have 80 thousand dollars after four years of service. A great deal for him and them!

I would LOVE to see you at Disney. We have not been since this summer (we took my cousins from Germany). I will NEVER go in summer again, but if you are there in May let me know!! Tell me dates, etc. Danielle was just saying that she and I needed to get away to disney. I would love to take Ray for another visit before he moves away....

My oldest changed his major to graphic arts and has had educational testing and we have learned that he has ADD. This explains a lot about why he had trouble in school, and made me feel quite quilty about not catching it while he was a child. But he is doing much better, has a great part time job and friends, so its all going to work out.

 

[snappy]

Wanted to add that a movie starring Brad Pitt seemed to be a good one to rename in that unintentional manner.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Maureen, nice to see you posting! Sorry to hear about your neuropathies. Do you think those are from the chemo? My son is interested in the CG, also, so it'll be good to follow your postings about your DS. Congrats to all.

We're home now. (Sorry, Sha! It would have been fun to take pics together!) We did a split stay at the Dolphin and AKL, meeting up with friends at AKL the last few days. I changed our ressies multiple times as I initially had the wrong week then got better prices the more I searched around. Despite it being a major school vacation week, it wasn't as busy as expected, which, I think, was reflected in hotel, airline and car rental rates, and park crowd levels - which worked out great for us.

We really love the Dolphin (3rd stay)! What a great value! AKL was nice, too (1st stay), but I was a little surprised at the number of things that were messed up and/or not working around the resort, etc, especially at twice the price of the Dolphin. But a) the Dolphin was booked solid when our friends decided to join us and b) the wife really wanted to try AKL; she wasn't overly thrilled with Dolphin last time we stayed there with them. So it was fun to have "something old" and "something new" in one trip, we were excited on each step of the journey (although packing sucked, lol).

I find it very interesting to see what people like in a resort and how they spend their time, etc. This trip, for us, was about relaxing. For our friends, not so much, as they had fewer days. A good example of different touring styles. This was our 4th Disney trip with them and we'd agreed ahead of time that everyone was going to do their own thing, which we did and that worked out well. We had fun times together and separately, and the kids switched off with families depending on what they wanted to do that day, which was great.

I love all the amenities that Swan/Dolphin offers and the sheer number of things there are to do around the resort. We also appreciate its beauty more and more and were impressed with the upkeep (despite the bad economy; the Poly, for instance, looked very run down to us this trip). I think the people at AKL were a little more, I'm not going to say friendly, because people at Dolphin were friendly, too. But I think that AKL being smaller, you get to know people better there, I guess is how I want to put it. But I don't think we had any issues with any CMs anywhere, which was nice. (No "Lemonsuckers", as my DH would say, lol.)

Our kids being teenagers now was interesting. Actually, they're pretty good, but I think I was a little sad having them wanting to do different things than us and going off on their own - A LOT. Not that I wasn't proud that they were able to navigate their way around, manage their money, do rides on their own or even stay at the park together while we went back to the resort. I guess it was just the reality that they're not our babies/children anymore and trips are "evolving" from what they used to be and, I guess, further, what I held onto so tightly for so long, especially given the whole cancer thing and making memories, etc. I even had a little unintentional crying jag one morning when they ran off. I realized right then and there (imagine, in the middle of a Disney park ) that I had to kind of grieve the loss of their childhood and recognize that we'll be now making a new kind of memories, and that DH and I will be enjoying more time on our own when we go on trips (which is something we always longed for, ironically). All good, just the first time that that's happened, our last trip being over two years ago. Our kids have done some major growing up in those two years. But can you just picture me? Thank God for an understanding DH, and a very empathetic CM (in a gift store ) who actually helped me a great deal in telling me about her own kids, lol. After that one morning, I was completely fine. Would love to hear your stories about the same. I can only imagine how it feels when they go off to college.

I was thinking about you all a lot while I was there. The realities of cancer, for me, anyway, is never far from my mind, and it makes me appreciate, as always, the time I've been given to enjoy things like vacations with the ones I love. In reality, it's not just the cancer. DH's brother also was a big Disney fan and I was thinking about him a lot while we were there, also. (He passed away of a heart attack @ 42 a few years ago.) I had a little God Wink while sitting out by the fire pit at AKL. Another guest had brought his guitar and was playing some quiet tunes, which I was thoroughly enjoying, while relaxing and thinking the thoughts that I always do (thanking God for these great times). When he began playing a song that was a notable song on a trip we'd taken with BIL and SIL years ago before any of us had kids. It was pretty cool, and of course I got a little teary (good tears!) appreciating the - whatever it was - God Wink, I think. And yes, lmp, this is the same BIL that I always get God Winks from, including the cake thing, lol.

Anyway, have got to start unpacking. We had a great flight home last night but it was a chilling reality to step out into 28 degree weather. I did get some beautiful pics that I'll be happy to share with you all, and I'll probably post some on the PB as well. I hope they're worth it because we carried an awful lot of camera equipment around all week and at times it was a real PIA.

GAGWTA

One other interesting footnote (? another God Wink), given my mindset on this trip, was that we rode the shuttle to our car from the airport with another family who had boy/girl twins, like ours, who were the exact age that our kids were on our first trip to WDW (almost four). It brought back a flood of memories and the little boy was absolutely staring at my son, who looked so big and grown up in comparison. Yet it felt alright. Good, actually. Which I think was a good way to end our trip. Like somehow it was all ok, kwim?

 

[annrae]

I am typing this from my phone as a test to see if I can post a sexy post once again. LOL! This is a slower option but if it will let me talk again I won't complain. Just rambling because I really don't want to say much in case this doesn't work.Not sure I'll know what to do if I can"speak"without shorthand.

Hi Melissa: So glad you are able to post longer messages now. I, too, am able to post due to changing browsers.

Do you have any plans to go back to WDW soon.
Hope all is well and have a good weekend.

Hugs, Barbara

 

[snappy]

Enjoyed the description of your trip very much, Linda. Thanks for sharing you reflections. I can relate very well to your observations about how the wdw experience changes with teens. I agree it frees up nice adult time with the DH, a very nice benefit, so to speak. Loved hearing about the god winks and your take on AKL. I really need to stay at the dolphin.

 

[CherylDan]

Hey Maureen....nice to see you again! Sorry to hear you are having some problems. Congrats to your kids on all the accomplishments. And good luck with the new job, when you are ready to return to work.

Linda, sounds like you had a nice time. It is so different to see our kids change and grow up between disney trips. I know when our youngest DD first went, she was I think 7 yrs old and just loved the place. Been back several times, and now there she is working at MK. She was able to go to the beach today and watch the shuttle launch. Your post reminded me all about how it was on her first trip, when she was so very enchanted with Mickey and Minnie at a character meal. My, where does the time go???

Merry, glad you are able to post from your phone!

Barbara, thanks so much for the pm the other day....you are such a sweetie!

Lauie, that's pretty funny about the spelling stuff! LOL, sounds like things could get pretty interesting with that, who knows what kind of stuff you might come up with!!

Smiley...how are you doing?

I had a most scary night. DH and I were on our way home from having dinner out, and my jaw started acting funny, like I couldn't quite close my mouth...then it kept getting worse, kinda like a charlie horse in my face, felt like I had this huge horrible grin stretched across my whole face. Then my throat started swelling up, and it was really very difficult to breath....by this time DH had turned the car around and we were headed to the ER. It was awful by the time we got there. My face was all contorted, my tounge was blue, and I couldn't breathe - more like I was panting. They knew right away I was having an allergic reaction to medication, the compazine I was taking for nausea. Got an IV in me and a bunch of benedryl and all was well just about immediately. They kept me there for a couple hours just to watch me, and now I'm home. Unfortunately, I have to be back there at 6am, getting my port put back in.

GAGWTA!!!!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Whoa, Cheryl! That is very scary! Thank God your DH reacted so quickly! When had you taken the compazine?

 

[snappy]

Cheryl, what an experience! Was that the first time you had taken that med?

Reminds me of alergy reactions to food, which can be very scary.

You must be drained. Benedryl really makes you sleepy. Maybe there is another drug in another family they can prescribe for your nausea.

I hope the surgery for the port goes well.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good morning ladies

Cheryl - hope your surgery goes well today. Thinking of you. That was sure scary about the compazine reaction. Have you tried zofran or regulan? I like zofran myself.

Lisa - hope your treatment goes well today

Melissa - so glad you can post again!

Maureen - good to see you too! You must be one proud mom with all your kids accomplishments, they are awesome! I am sure the right door will open for you when the time is ready. Its good you are putting you first, that is a good thing, also sorry about the neuropathy.

Linda - your trip sounded great. We love the swan and dolphin too, a little partial to the swan. Helps when dh gets the govt. discount too. Did you swin in the grotto pool? I know what you mean about the kids growing up at disney. I think I was traumatized when I let them go out at night and take the bus back to the resort etc. Ended up something was wrong, they sat on a bench, ? I cant remember the whole story, or the monorail stopped running? Well they had some nice disney bus driver take just the two of them back to the Poly I think. It was very late at night. I think they saw a movie at dtd? No cells phones then, I was beside myself.

smiley - thinking of you

Laurie - how is your shoulder doing? How is dd's bowling team doing?

Tomm. I am going bowling with our church. I dont know if this is a good idea with all my stomach surgery, we will see. I asked dh if he wanted to check out the star tours days at DHS. He said: I made something like a light saber once. (at work) Gheesh, he is no fun at all. Once during Indiana Jones he sat there reading a book on parellel universes.

GTAGWTA. Have a great week end everyone.

 

[snappy]

Parallel universe! Wow!
I can feel your pain. My DH complained about the lighting in or AKL roomin november 2009. He ended up totally rearranging the room until he could get situated to work on his laptop. I had to go see the Christmas lights in Mk by myself. Wasn't all his fault. He got a boatload of emails asking for stuff. Not good to be indispensable.

 

[wdw4us2]

MaryAnn & Laurie - I guess I am lucky to have a DH who always has a good time at WDW. Whenever the kids and I ask him if he has anything special he wants to do while we're there, he just says, "Whatever you have planned is fine with me." Although the only downside to this is that we always have to make the plans and he's just along for the ride. . .

MaryAnn - I don't have my next chemo until next Friday, thankfully. My energy level is pretty low right now and I'm hoping to have a bit more energy by then. My niece and her Dad (ex-BIL) are coming to visit today and bringing me lunch. I'm looking forward to it - I've been spending too much time alone lately.

Cheryl - I'm so glad your DH recognized that you were having a reaction to one of your meds! I still remember when I had a reaction to Taxotere during my last course of chemo and went into anaphylactic shock. Scary!

DS and I watched the last launch of Space Shuttle Discovery yesterday afternoon from our backyard. I'm really going to miss watching the launches since I have been doing this since the Apollo program!

 

[snappy]

Lisa, your DH sounds great!

Hope you had a nice lunch with your niece and her Dad yesterday, and that you have more energy today.

DD15 is starting driver's ed today. where has the time gone?

MaryAnn, the shoulder is better. DH encouraged me to get the stretchy bands out and resume my strengthening exercises that the PT guys gave me. With those and the massage the other day, my shoulder pain is going away. I am still avoiding ibupofin-had to have some when I had the flu but I am playing it safe.

I do believe the Platelet rich plasma injection last August was a success, even with the good old frozen shoulder and the physical therapy.

The bowling season is in full swing. I am doing a lot of driving around, taking time I don't really have. DD15 is not really enjoying it and I am not sure exactly why. But I am pleased that she is sticking with it and does not have an attitude about it. I think her classes have ramped up a notch this 9 weeks, and she missed about a week of school when she was sick, and she is getting stressed.

Cheryl, are you feeling better?

I hear WDW calling me. I am thinking of hopping in my car and driving over for Mardi Gras. I am truly crazy.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good morning ladies

Cheryl - hope you are doing ok and yes cancer does suck, but I know you are one tough cookie!!

Lisa - how was your lunch? Saw your temps on the weather. I am jealous!!

Linda - I like your nurse thread

Laurie - have you gotten in the car with your dd yet? I was glad when the drivers ed people got the ds. It was 3 kids in the back seat then another teen driver in the front with the instructor here. One teen girl proudly told them she just crashed her moms car

Well I survived the bowling. I got like a 28 and a 54. Dh and ds23 bowled with us, and then finally ds19 got to come on down at the end. The guy relieving him didnt show up. Alot of the church girls were just sitting there in their little cliques watching their dh's bowl. I was so proud of myself for actually trying and so was dh and the 2 ds, they told me. My stomach was fine but I have been taking lots of tylenol for my back. I guess 3 back operations is taking its toll too. I went with dh on a little errand. He didnt tell me the area where we were going. Lets just say the roads were terrible, hence we saw an accident and we almost got in ones ourselves due to the poor traffic lights, signs etc. Then add in that we were in the flight path of the airport and a huge southwest jet went over us. Wow, scary and noisy, worse than a disney ride. I def. need the b12 shot this week. I hope it works out.

GTAGWTA. Thinking of you all.

 

[smiley_face2]

Hi ladies. sorry I have not been able to keep up. I hadmy first chemo last wednesday AC and about 3hours after I left the hospital started being violently ill. ran a fever, never had anything like it in my life. got so bad I told hubby if it's going to be like this I can not do it. today is the first day where I'm feeling even partly normal and able to eat. they put me on iv fluids and anti nausea at the hospital during the past few days. They promise it will not be like this next time they will have me on iv meds right from the beginning and monitor me more closely. It was one of those times where I was actually afraid I was going to die but wishing I just could and get it over with. never wnat to be back in that place again. I've lost 10lbs in the 5 days, am week as a baby. hubby was complaining about a bad stomache today, and dear grand daughters all had fevers and vomitting diahrea last week so I'm hoping that I just got unlucky enough to have gotten that at the same time and the next time won't be like this. I'm taking Ondansetron, metoclopromide and gravol for the vomiting but they make me so tired too.
Cheryl I'm so sorry for you news, I'm still thinking about you even as I have been so sick. I hate having my porta cath, it pinches all the time and the girls are pretty big, (well one of them is now anyway!) of course it's the one on that side so I can not go without a bra it just pulls too much.
Marci...I'm cheering for you on your race to the finish line! I can't believe you are nearing the end as I am just beginning.
Linda, I know exactly what you mean abut them growing up, especially now that our dear son is gone I cherish those memories mroe than anything in the world.
Dear husbnd is continuing his councilling along with the rest of the family. I jsut dont' know what our future is going to hold for us. Thank the Dear Lord that they had life insurance on their mortgage, and a small life insurance policy and now she will gte a very good pension for the rest of her life. It just seems so unfair, our dear son worked sooooo hard putting a roof over their heads and food on the table, now he can't be here to appreciate the hard work. We are going to make sure the girls grow up knowing how much he lvoed them and what he sacrraficed for them.
Gotta go, getting too tired.

GTAGWTA

 

[snappy]

Smilie, I am glad you were able to post, as we were concerned about you. I know it took a lot out of you but it means a lot to hear from you. I am sorry you had such a bad experience with your first round. The type of bug your family members had is very contagious, I think you are on to something that it must have hit you as well.

I am glad your team will monitor you closely for the next round.

You have such a lot to deal with, it must be so very much harder to grieve for your son when you are so weak. I am glad you DH and other family members are continuing with counseling. Talking things over with a counselor is not a quick fix, but can really help you through bad times, I know from experience.
At times like this one might be able to open up with a counselor easier than someone who you are close with, someone you are afraid to say things or get emotional around.

I hope you are able to eat more soon, and get some strength and energy back.

Take care, know that we care about you.

Laurie