Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part III - GAGWTA!

[snappy]

Sorry you are not feeling well, Lisa. Would love to meet you sometime. You daughter is lovely and so kind to put up with us taking pictures. I guess it is kind of creepy to have people you don't know walk up to you. We were unsure if we would be able to meet her but I guess we had a Godwink and ran into her while she was heding out. It was special for Maryann and myself as it felt like we were meeting a part of you.

Elizabeth, hope you trip is wonderful. Star Wars weekend was kind of crazy. I was there the day the Star Tours ride opened and it was pure madness. I left as soon as I could. I did get great pictures though of the parade this past Friday as Mary Ann and her DH were in the wheelchair area.

Another positive of traveling alone is that people are so nice too you, wait staff when I was eating solo as well as other guest. I guess you are more approachable if you are by yourself. I even met and talked at length to two different groups of guests from England at the airport and I met too many people to count in the lazy rivers and at the hot tubs.

GAGWTA!

 

[meg1mmfan]

Laurie - It was a pleasure meeting you & Maryann. My trainer just thought I was some kind of celebrity because you were the second visitor I had while training.

I had my third visitor this weekend, my godmother and her family. And just so you all know I am no longer "Earning my ears" but now an official Splash Mountain cast member! Passed my assessment on Saturday and start working regularly next weekend.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Lisa, I hope you feel better soon!

Congrats, Meg!! I despise being splashed with water, so you can imagine which ride is NOT my favorite. If I do end up riding we will look for you! We'll be at WDW June 3-18.

 

[smiley_face2]

so sorry you are not feeling well Lisa! I had a rough time after my last treatment this time too. Am feeling better finally today, but now I go again on wednesday so that stinks! 8 more treatments to go, then the radiation. Sending lot's of healing thoughts and prayers your way
Have to admit I am green with envy over the bunch of you able to meet up at WDW, and to meet Meg too!! and congrats Meg on your promotion to cast member!!
I am struggling with a new lap top....it does things I am not used to on my pc and the shift key on the left is in the wrong postition and I keep hitting the key next to it and having to correct....and now I have changed the key next to it to ù insteat of forward slash so dont know how to fix it....and my apostraphe key has changed to è and I accidentally dragged the bottom task bar up 2 spaces so my pages are half as big.....

 

[PatsMom]

Gosh I hope it was ok to post these.

Lisa, let me know if it is not and I will delete the picture with your DD.

Sha and Patsmom, is it ok for me to post pictures of y'all and your family members?

I don't mind having pictures posted. I wish I had brought my camera the night we got together!

 

[snappy]

Smilie, sorry to hear your last treatment affected you so badly. It must make it harder knowing you are facing so many additional rounds. Hang int here sweetie!

Wish you could have been there too, but please know you were with us in our hearts.

It was not a RFTC but in a way it felt like it was.

I am trying to figure out a way to get there for October 16th and carry you all with me.

Sha, is there a way we can print something and pin it on our shirts with everyone's names/user names on it?

Thanks, Patsmom, I will post the picture I have of us at Illumninations.

Congrats, Meg! Mais, oui, you are a celebrity in our books! You are doing something some of us here dream of doing, with the exception of Elizabeth for that particular ride!

Godspeed, Elizabeth! Have a wonderful trip!

Hope your meets go well. Can't wait to see your pictures!

I am getting more info on DD20's program. They are based in a hotel in Paris for 2 weeks. It is only DD20 and 4 other Tulane students and the two advisors. They have classes from 10-2 every day (after a "free" breakfast) then go for visits to companies. It sounds like they have Friday-Sunday off and they can travel to sightsee then.

The two courses she is taking are International Management and International Finance.

I fear we are not going to be able to keep her down at the farm much longer.

One cool thing that happened last week was that DH won a new 3D camera. DD had wanted to take the Canon T2i DSLR DH bought in December that I used during this last trip. However, I got home 9:45 pm Friday and she left Saturday am. We could have made a quick trip down to bring it to her, as we had a new media card, but on Wednesday DH got a call from the camera shop where he bought the DSLR camera and where we always get prints made (good quality and cheaper if you join their "club").

He won a $500 camera!

She was ever so excited that he gave it to her to use that evening for her trip to Europe.

I am not sure how the pictures will come out but the camera will be easier to manage as it is smaller than the DSLR and clearly better than the Canon sureshot model she bought 3 years ago.

I am hoping to find out which companies she is visiting and how things are going. We are conserving the text messages and phone calls as even with international cell phone plans, the costs are high. We are doing emails, and she sent me another one this morning.

She is being frugal with her travel funds. Rather than buying things she plans to spend her money on the actual travel. She worked two jobs this last month to pad her wallet.

GAGWTA!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thinking of all of you having a hard time with treatment.

Enjoyed the TRs and pics from those of you who met up @ WDW! Laurie, you did a great job with the camera!

We're just home from a great trip to Long Island, NY, and intensive baseball! Really fun to take the ferry over with the car and see the area for probably the first time. (I know I was there as a child, but don't remember much.) Loved the wineries, farm stands, flowers, etc, on the trip west from Orient Point. Impressed with the baseball fields there as well. Had a great time with our team and other baseball friends I knew who were down there, too. Left here with chilly weather and came back to heat and humidity. I think it's going to be one of those years that goes from winter to summer and skips spring, lol. Actually went into the pool for the first time last night to cool off. The dog enjoyed it as well. Now to unpack and start laundry!

GAGWTA

 

[snappy]

Ha, Linda, I was anxiously awaiting your comments on my pictures. I took a boatload of them.

I need lessons!

Your Long Island trip sounds wonderful.

Glad it warmed up and you can use the pool.

 

[snappy]

With Patsmom, her DH, and MaryAnn at Illuminations

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good morning ladies

aprilgail - how is your mom doing? I hope she is healing. Did she go to Good Sam? I go to SB but have thyroid ca. Wishing your mom all the best. Its wonderful that she has such a caring dd and dgd. I am sure the relay will be such a personal and meaningful day for all of you.

Cheryl - how are you sista? I am sure you are glad to have your dd back home. How is the kitchen remodel? I am sure Charlie and Lola are enjoying the nice weather too!

Candy - how is the party planning coming along? I am sure you have a spreadsheet for everything. Wishing you all the best with the PET scan results

Lisa - sorry the chemo is taking a toll. Hoping you will get your strength back. When we saw Meg, I felt like I was visiting with you too. Your dd is so sweet. I think her major is something like our middle ds. So wonderful that she passed all her tests. I am sure its a dream come true for sure. Hoping your Pet scan results are good too

smiley - sorry you too are dealing with the side effects of your treatments.

Elizabeth - enjoy your trip!

Linda - I love driving out east but havent done it in a while. Never enough time. Last time was when we got ds his used car. The prices are actually lower out east for regular cars, not the luxury one thouugh. Glad you enjoyed the trip. Also glad you are enjoying the pool.

PatsMom - it was nice meeting with you, sorry we couldnt meet up again. I know you were busy with your family and family comes first for sure.

Sha - It was so nice to meet you, your mom and niece. You are such a sweet person. I can see why you are a nurse. I hope your visit with your friend goes well. (Loved that picture you showed us!)

Laurie - what can I say, it was a blast! But I get tired even thinking about how much you did without dh and I too!

Well I am trying to get back into the regular routine. The ds didnt take the garbage down, so our cans runneth over. Oldest was complaining there was no more food left in the house. Thats me lately.

The 2 ds have started their college classes and other ds lifeguarding.

Southwest lost one of our bags on the way home. They found it and dh and ds picked it up from the airport. They gave us a $50 voucher for doing that.

We loved the Grand Floridian, liked the Beach Club and thought the Yacht Club really went down hill.

We ate at Kona twice, Park Faire, Gardenview Tea, Citricos, Flying Fish, Le Cellier , Chefs de France, Cape May Buffet,Crystal Palace, Hollywood Brown Derby, etc. I will do a little dining review.

The cancer testing starts the 16th I think. I am having more dizziness since we got home.

I need to start studying for teaching Vacation Bible School. I so enjoy doing that.

Well we booked another vacation. 40% off the room using the bounceback rate. We are going the Monday after thanksgiving to the Beach Club and leaving that sunday. I think last year at that time it poured in Florida and there was a snowstorm here. Should be interesting.

GTAGWTA.

 

[Sha]

Sha, is there a way we can print something and pin it on our shirts with everyone's names/user names on it?

Sha - It was so nice to meet you, your mom and niece. You are such a sweet person. I can see why you are a nurse. I hope your visit with your friend goes well. (Loved that picture you showed us!)

Laurie there are a couple options we can do.

LMP Thank you for your kind words! It was great meeting you and your DH. I am getting a bit excited about the visit. I did get to see him on his way through a few days ago and was just kind of natural. He gave me a kiss and took my hand for a little bit. And walking back to the car he had his hand on the small of my back. He said "nothing has changed"... not going to read more into things but was nice to see him. I have missed him I know.

 

[smiley_face2]

Ah, thanks for the reply Sharon.

Can't believe I missed seeing all the pictures!! makes me even more jealous...but in a good way!!
Laurie, can you put the names to these faces here? being still pretty new here, I don't know who you all are! and just to be fair, here's a pic of me and hubby on splash mountain (yes I wimped out and wore a rain poncho) on our last trip a year ago

 

[smiley_face2]

embarassingly just realised I have my pic in my signature...and I posted a pic of our whole family back a few months ago!

 

[snappy]

Smilie, don't be embarrassed. The more pictures we get, the better.

Ok, for the names, sorry I did not think of that but the lovely ladies sitting are MaryAnn on the left and Sha's mom of the right. Then standing, I am the old gal on the far left, with Sha in the middle and her Sha's nice on the right.

On my earlier picture, standing at Illuminations, it is Mary Ann on the far left, then Patsmom in the middle with her DH right behind her, and I am on the far right.

Hope that helps.

 

[NHAnn]

GAGWTA ladies!

It is SO nice to see the pictures and read the trip reports!! Although I am envious! Just want to reach in the pics and hug you all. Laurie...you look "maaahvelous"...different hair (and glasses?) from when we met at RFTC in 2008 (is it really almost 3 years?!) both are very becoming! Sha, so great to "see" you and your mom again too, that is one beautiful smile you have!! MaryAnn, it is great to put a face with the name , same for Patsmom and Lisa's Meg as well. You all look so relaxed and happy

Sure wish I could work out RFTC this October.....

Smilie, I am glad you posted that Splash picture....pure WDW joy!!

Pea- I am in complete agreement about the weather...no spring just cold, raw, then rain....now summer. I am thrilled DH put the bedroom window AC unit in this afternoon, as it was hot all weekend, and a bit uncomfortable at night....and tomorrow will be close to 90 in the afternoon

I am thinking of those of you having treatment

All is well here, just very very busy at work including some overtime hours, and am determined to keep up my Yoga on my own time...DIS computer time takes a backseat quite a lot, but I am here in spirit and try to keep up reading!

 

[snappy]

Ah yes, Ann, the new "me." I think everyone shuld turn into a blonde when they are 57, especially if that is just the ticket to cover impending grey,

And yes, I went with red glasses this time, as I have really been digging my red Rayban sun glasses.

I think they may be a little harsh against the blonde hair but it works for me.

Glad you are doing well and it is good to see you post.

Yes, it has been 3 years since our debut at the Louisiana pavillion at the Food in Wine Fest. Hard to wrap myself around the fact that that much time has elapsed.

Back to the grind here.

How is that washing going, Mary Ann? I was glad I had 3 days to get transitioned in to the real world here. Lots of changes with summer schedules too. And one nice benefit, most of the LSU students have fled the scene until August.

We also have a week on the beach in Pensacola coming up in less than 3 weeks now. Always something to look forward to.

GAGWTA!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Very chic, Laurie.

I meant to respond to Aprilgail's post about her mother's post op hematoma. I had one also, inside the breast. Because I went right into chemo, they couldn't remove it or do anything with it. I've posted about it many times over the years, but that thing has been a thorn in my side ever since. It essentially never healed and then turned into a seroma, which is still there. To this day (years later), it's still very painful and I can't sleep comfortably on that side. God forbid, someone hits it by accident, it HURTS!! It also causes some concern with every mammogram I have as it's there and they have to determine whether what they're seeing is normal and old, vs not normal and new, so my annuals take a while (many people come and go during my time there).

But I will add that getting a hematoma is nobody's fault. It's basically a blood blister that forms during or after surgery when blood leaves the blood vessels and seeps into the tissues, where it becomes trapped. We see them all the time in the hospital post procedure. They usually resolve in a few weeks' time, but in my case, because of the chemo, it didn't. That would not be the norm. (I can't remember if you said your Mom was having chemo or not, but even if she is, it doesn't necessarily mean she'll have the same experience as me, but it could happen and I just wanted to let you know.)

I also had the other issue that Smiley posted about - fluid build up under my arm at the axillary node removal site. I also had to go several times to have it drained and it was really annoying and painful. I think a drain would have been indicated, myself, but they had no way of knowing that during the surgery when they would have put it in. Drains are not standard practice with partial mastectomies (ie lumpectomies) but I do think they should look at it.

I bagged out on laundry yesterday. I was so tired! I never sleep well in hotel rooms and this weekend was no exception. I was up at 3:30am one morning and we were at the field for batting practice at 6:30. Shoot, I don't even get up that early at home, lol. Several days of that combined with work and packing in the days prior just exhausted me. But back to the ole grind today!

 

[Candy30]

Hey All!

Snappy- GREAT Pictures!!! Thanks for posting. All of you Ladies look great and you are having a blast. I agree with Anne....wish I was there to hug and meet all of you.

Smiley I LOL at your picture on Splash Mountain! Great photo. How are you feeling these days?

Lisa- I hope you are feeling better. It's great that Meg has passed all her test and is "officially" on board. She is a cutie.

Sha- You look great! It looks like you all are having a good time.

Jacks- You are sooooo close. 2 days? No last minute packing.

Anne-Hope you are not going too crazy at work.

April- How is your mom? How are you? You are a great support to her.

Patsmom- Looks like you were having a good time too. How are you feeling?

LMP I hope you are not too exhausted after all your vacation Laundry. It so hard to believe summer is here. It's great you booked another vacation. Something to look forward to.

I have been crazy here. My refrigerator is dying. Right before the gradparty.
We looked in scratch and dent and will have to buy one less than the one we have now. I will lose features but at least I will have a refrigerator and freezer. And I just bought all of the food for the graduation party. Fortunately my family came to the rescue. Graduation plans are under way. I lost the woman that was going to do characitures for me. But she has a good reason. I am having a few issues with people trying to bring more people. I had one adult ask my daughter if she can come! Are you serious? I would love to invite everyone but I just can't afford it.

Now I am getting ready to go on my DD 8th grade field trip on Friday. We are going to Cedar Point and a Water park in 2 days. I hope I can do this. My iron is low and I was supposed to go in to get IV infusion of Iron but can't fit me in until Monday. I am very tired. I asked them to call if they found that they had room for me. I honestly can say that I will be glad when this is over.

My daughter is upset because they did decide on caps and gowns and she so wants to just wear her dress. Poor thing.

I am calling my hema/onc to find out the results of my PET today.

Take care everyone. GAGWTA

 

[snappy]

Chic? Yes!! You shoulda seen me in my red rental-"my" Infinity G37. I was in my red zone last week, lol.

I agree, Linda, although the drains can be a pain to empty, they are effective. I read somewhere that if your breast is (or I guess "was" is the right tense here) larger, there is just more fluid to drain. That fact made sense to me. I had a large breast removed and I had a lot of fluid. I had one of the drains for at least a month after my mastectomy. It was not convenient as I was not allowed to shower until the last one was drained. The cap on one of those drains broke off and caused me some embarrassment in Walmart once, but I guess we all have old war stories. Had trouble finding the cap (the cam kept popping off) and my DH fashioned another one out of a nail.

Even with drains for an extended time, I needed some fluid removed via aspiration once or twice. But I did not experience any pain when the fluid was aspirated. The area was and is numb. It just still was a little scary. The fluid was not in the anxillary area though, it was more to the side of where my left breast was removed.

After my reconstruction two years later I also had a drain or two, but it was just a week long deal. There was just not nearly as much fluid this time, and no pain.

I had gotten pretty adept at drains by then, and regardless was more focused on the intense discomfort in my abdomen where the flap that was used to make my reconstructed breast was removed.

 

[snappy]

Thanks for the compliment. I spent more time taking pictures during this trip than anything else, other than in the lazy rivers and eating of course, lol.

Crazy time to have you fridge go out, right before the party, Candy.

I hope you get your energy up, that field trip sounds fun but exhausting.

That party sounds like it will be wonderful. Please post pictures if you can.