Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part IV - GAGWTA

[luvmarypoppins]

Lisa - Glad to hear that radiation is over. Hope the chemo is tolerable today. Rest up and post when you can. Blessings to you always

Havent head from Candy. I am concerned.

Have to do alot of cooking for church on Sun.

Traded our coral reef adr for what I really wanted, Tutto Italia. Only way to get it was to put 3 on the reservation though. What can I do. I really want to eat there and try the new menu etc. Plus nothing like a bunch of hot italian guys singing Happy Birthday to you

Best news of all...Ds20 got accepted into the nursing program at the catholic college in the next county, yippee!! He would probably have to board there. They took alot of his credits. I think he still needs a few more things like ethics and a religion class. etc. He is going to call them and must reserve his spot by next week. I guess we will do that anyway. Its only $200 and its non refundable, but we are still waiting to hear from the state college and the comm college, so he wants all his bases covered to make an informed decision. Of course financial figures into it too and this place is only giving him a $1,000 scholarship. Yikes. The other places were giving him like $10 and $15K.

GAGWTA. Have a great week end everyone.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Sistas, I just got a text update from our dear sista Candy

She said her family has been through some very tough times lately.

One of the family members was murdered (I dont think this was her immediate family, but I am not sure) and then the accidental death of her great nephew. (I hope that wasnt the precious little guy who broke his arm and we saw his picture).

She appreciates our concern and please keep them all in your prayers.

 

[snappy]

Love2disney, how was your first chemo infusion yesterday. Post when you feel up to it.

Thanks for updating us about Candy MaryAnn.

Candy, I am praying for your family. Having multiple family tragedies at the same time is so tough. Please know you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Lisa, I hope you get more strength back soon, now that the radiation is behind you. How did chemo go?

MaryAnn, congrats to your son. I am glad he received the acceptance to the nearby nursing school. It is amazing how being accepted can build your confidence.

Maybe more scholarship $ will be available later?

Have you filed FASFA?

I never have eaten at Tutto. What do you like to order there? Hot guys singing to you does have an appeal!

I had a long chat with DD21's boyfriend's mom yesterday talking about graduation plans. I think we will pass a good time.

Unfortunately, both the morning unified ceremony and the afternoon undergrad ceremony are both in the Superdome. I don't think my mom or my sister or my mother in law will be able to make it. It is just too hard. I am checking into where the handicapped entrance and seating are. Maybe it will work but I really doubt it.

But we are planning brunch in the French Quarter the following morning. We will be staying for a couple of nights at my friend Cindy's house who lives across the river from the quarter on the west bank, instead of trying to commute from BR.

Things are shaping up, I am trying to not obsess about the plans. I hate leaving things to the last minute.

More good news, DD16's friend has permission from her parents and her club soccer coach to go with us for our extended WDW trip late May, early June. DH got the time off too although I will believe it when we get there. Hope internet access is good at the Boardwalk. I don't think I have used the wi-fi there yet, we used the ethernet connection preciously and it worked well.

DD16 trained again Thursday for her yogurt shop job. She will work 3 days a week, for about 3-4 hours/day. I think she will be learning some good time management techniques with this. It is actually fewer hours per week that the bowling team required last year, and I don't have to drive across town. Actually the yogurt shop is perfect as it is located between her school and my job location on the way home (5 minutes from home), and right next to a neighborhood Walmart that is oh so easy to shop at.

We are going to dinner tonight with DH's niece who is his god daughter, her significant other and their 4 year old. Some of the old timers here will remember her as the niece who graduated from med school the year following Katrina (2006) right after she lost her mother to lung cancer. We hosted her graduation party at our house since the med school graduation was held at the basketball arena at LSU 5 minutes from our house. She is doing well, has a decent practice in New Orleans (she is an OBGYN doc). Her significant other is through with class work in his Physicians Assistant curriculum, and they are attending the white coat ceremony here today.

I am looking forward to seeing them very much. She is also DD16's god mother and all of us are close.

It is a marvelous day here, cool and low humidity. Parts of the yard are still soggy from the deluge Wednesday. Won't keep me from messing around in the yard. I need pine needles to mulch the yard!!! I went through the 12 bales from last weekend and need another fix.

Hope all of you have warm weather and clear skies today as well, wherever you may be.

GAGWTA everyone.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

GAGWTA, Ladies!

Thinking of all of you!

Love2, my mom had 4 A/C followed by what was supposed to be 12 Taxol. She did OK with the A/C, not so well with the Taxol. They switched to Taxotere but untimately stopped short of 12 infusions. She did have 6 week sof rads after chemo. She was stage III. Now she is doing well. She works in a school cafeteria and was able to do her job for the most part all during her treatments. She does struggle with lymphedema simply because she had so much lymph involvement and so many positive nodes. She doesn't like her compression sleeve.

Candy, I am so very sorry for your losses. Know you are in my thoughts, and I am wishing for you to have peace and comfort during this terrible time.

Lisa, baby steps.

Laurie, what are your dates? We are at Kidani May 31-June 9. Congrats to DD on her new job!


MaryAnn, sounds like your trip plans are shaping up! Congrats to your DS!

My aunt has decided to just do Tamoxifen for my cousin. Once she understood how advanced things are, she decided it really would serve no purpose to put my cousin through a lot of surgery and treatment. They are trying to plan a trip somewhere but the logistics are really overwhelming. So much equipment to deal with!

Gorgeous weather here today. I have been in the car most of the day shuttling DS around. He applied for a summer apprenticeship at one of the theaters. Not sure when he will hear back. It has been a bad year for him. He may need to take summer courses, which will mean struggling and fighting all summer to get him to do the work. If he is NOT offered the apprenticeship I guess he will go to physical summer school, otherwise he will have to do it online because summer school and the apprenticeship overlap. He is to the point now where he hates school, so getting through the next 10 weeks will be a nightmare.

 

[CherylDan]

Candy.... thinking of you

Lisa, glad the radiation is over. I hope you get some strength back soon, and are able to tolerate the chemo.

Love2.....sorry you have joined the club, but welcome

JSK, good luck to your DS (and you!) hopefully things will improve soon for him. I hope your aunt and cousin are able to take that trip.

Snappy, how was your dinner with your niece? Sounds like you have a lot going on!

LMP, congrats on your DS acceptances, I'm sure it is a crazy time trying to sort it all out.

We have had some absolutely crazy weather here.....eight days in a row with temps in the 80s! Normal high this time of year is 47. Seems like that stretch is over now, but we are still going to be way above normal for at least another
week. Funny thing was we left behind the 80 degree temps to go to Las Vegas - when we landed there, it was only 45. Crazy.

We had a great time in Vegas. The Venetian was wonderful.....highly recommend it! We ate a lot, had some really good stuff, but my favorite was the pizza and cannoli at a Mario Batalli restaurant. Simple and delicious. I even managed to win $650!!!! that was really fun, especially since I was only playing a quarter slot.

Have my next CT scan scheduled for Monday, won't get the results until Thurs. As usual, trying not to bleed before I'm shot.....

GAGWTA!!

 

[snappy]

Glad you enjoyed Vegas, Cheryl.

Our dinner last night was very good. We had copious amounts of boiled seafood, crawfish and shrimp, DD16 had a seared tuna salad and the 4 year old did chicken fingers.:roll eyes: We were able to linger at our table for more than an hour and a half and really visit. I was so glad they did not rush us to seat another group as is done at some restaurants.

Praying for good news on the scan tomorrow. Please post when you can.

Elizabeth, I think your aunt made the right decision. What made the difference in her making up her mind?

Sorry your son has struggled this year at school. High school is so different than middle school. I have found that social pressures affect academic success with our kids. Maybe he will hit his stride soon.

We are arriving at the Boardwalk May 28th and staying for about 10 days in Orlando total.

Why don't we plan to meet. Would absolutely love meeting you and your family. We will have a car so we are pretty flexible. I will pm you with my contact info.

I don't really do a trip plan day by day. I will be avoiding extra hours when we move to bonnet creek for the last 4 days.

Now my sister in law may bring my mother in law to the graduation in the dome after all. DH's older sister already indicated Mamere is not up to it. DH is in the middle. I am trying to stay on the sidelines. Gosh, even my sister is not up to tackling the dome.

GAGWTA!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Cheryl, glad you enjoyed Vegas! I am a terrible gambler, even on slots.

Laurie, would love to meet you and your family! Our first few days are insanely busy with Gay Days festivities, but by Tuesday (6/5) things are considerably calmer.

My cousin (the attorney) said once her mom spoke with the oncologist about what that tumor marker REALLY meant she realized the cancer is too advanced to treat successfully. With so many other health issues it just wasn't going to be possible to have a good outcome.

I am taking DS to meet with a tutor this afternoon. We had hoped to have a family friend tutor him. They got together twice and it was going well, but then our friend completely flaked out and there has been NO tutoring for 2 weeks. We probably need MULTIPLE sessions per week, not NO tutoring! I am peeved that our friend wasn't honest about not wanting to do it in the first place, and he never said sorry for backing out. If it wasn't critical I wouldn't have asked. I guess "critical" depends which side of the fence you are on, huh? Hopefully DS will like this girl, and hopefully she will explain things in a way he can understand.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Love2 - hoping the first chemo was tolerable.

Lisa - rest up and sending you some thoughts

Cheryl - glad you had a good trip and hoping your ct scan tomm. will go smoothly and that you will get some good results. Let us know. I think I would like Marios food too!

Laurie - yes, you sure are having the time coordinating all the graduation stuff. I was blessed I guess. No relatives to worry about. We just told ds we would take him out to eat. I was so weak then and really didnt have alot of strength. His was at a large place too in another county. I am sure it will all work out. Glad you had a lovely visit and dinner yesterday.

Elizabeth - I think you aunt made the right decision too, to keep your cousin as comfortable as possible. I hope they will be able to go on a trip. Sorry your ds is struggling in school. First year of hs is such a transition, friend wise, academics, etc. etc. Hope things work out for C.

Sha - How are you sista? Will you be there in May or June too?

Linda - how is your friend doing who lost her son?

Looks like there will be alot of you there at the same time - Laurie, Elizabeth, PatsMom.

Busy running around this week end. I only cooked 2 things. I was lazy. I usually do 3 for the church dinners. Ds22 is applying for a summer job. We will see how that goes. There is one other person applying so far.

GAGWTA

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

DS is actually a sophomore. But this year has been much worse than last year. I dread the next 2 years.

 

[snappy]

My observation with my two girls is that sophomore year was far harder than freshman. I think the teachers expected more sophomore year, and as DD21 told me once, they were not "as nice."

Hope the meeting with the new tutor went well. Do you think they will be a good fit, Elizabeth?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

My observation with my two girls is that sophomore year was far harder than freshman. I think the teachers expected more sophomore year, and as DD21 told me once, they were not "as nice."

Hope the meeting with the new tutor went well. Do you think they will be a good fit, Elizabeth?

The tutor is really nice, and she is incredibly smart. I thought DS looked like he didn't understand, though. We'll see. He wants to be able to go to class, put forth minimal effort, and not touch a book or a note outside of the classroom. Obviously that approach is NOT working, but he has so much hatred built up that he has kind of shut down. He says he is trying but I think he has really walled himself off.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good afternoon sistas

Elizabeth - hope the new tutor works out well for C.

Lisa and Love2 - how are you both feeling?

Terry - If you are reading, how is your niece doing?

Well Friday is the big day. I am dreading it. Things are taking place behind the scenes supposedly. I think once things are decided we will have no choice in the decisions etc. Its like take it or leave it. I am praying alot.

Dh showed me his trip schedule. He will be gone for 9 days, including easter. How lovely. I think he leaves tues. or wed.

Spring break for the 2 ds next week,yeah. Hope ds22 gets all the yard work done.

I am looking at airfare for the food and wine. Its already expensive. I dont know when I want to go. I know my cousins will be there sometime and I would like to see them but they are going with a big group from the in laws side of the family, so I dont want to intrude etc. But a little time together would be nice. My one cousins idea of having disney fun is sitting by the pool bar at Pop and drinking all day.

Just saw they got rid of the ceasar salad at Le Cellier and that was what I was planning on having. Back to the drawing board.

I was feeling slightly dizzy again for the last 2 days. I sure hope that problem is not back again. At least we know what to try and do. I wont waste my money going back to that dr. again. He was a waste of time last time.

GAGWTA. Blessings to you all.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Good morning ladies

Linda - do you have baseball this week end?

Lisa - hope you are resting up

Cheryl - hoping you get good news

I feel so tired right now and even fell asleep yest at 5 pm. I think I should call the endo and tell her my symptoms.

Well the meeting is cancelled again. More stuff going on behind the scenes. I guess that is something good, I really dont know. We will have to do something else before that meeting they tell us.

Last night on the way back from picking ds up at college, 2 deer ran right in front of us and sadly dh hit one of them. I dont think it survived and ran into the woods. So needless to say our new to us van is damaged. Praise God we were all o.k. I know all the damage was on dh side again. Headlight and the 2 doors. Blood on the door but it was not much. When dh closes his door it makes a horrible sound. Hopefully it can get fixed while he is away on his trip.Sigh.

Now ds 22 might go with dh on his trip. I guess it would be company for dh although ds def. does not deserve to go etc.

GAGWTA.

 

[CherylDan]

Thanks for asking, yes I did get good news today! My oncologist still seems, I don't know, doubtful?? At the very least he is certainly still quite surprised. I don't have to see him again for another three months and at that time they will do another CT scan and bloodwork. So that will be June, one year after I stopped the chemo after being diagnosed with mets. No idea how long my good fortune is going to last.....but we are certainly enjoying it while it does!

I think we are going to book an Alaska cruise for early June.....we are just now starting to seriously research it, so we will have to figure it out fairly quickly. Anybody gone?

Sorry about your van LMP. Those deer sure can cause a lot of damage, glad you were all fine. I hope everything with your meetings works out ok.

JSK, how's the tutor working out?

Lisa, thinking of you!

Love2, how are you doing with the chemo?

Laurie, your WDW trip sounds wonderful! 10 days....wow, I'd love that!

GAGWTA!!

 

[smiley_face2]

I am so happy to read the good news for you maryanne, on the bloodwork, and your sons acceptance into nursing school! I hope your other symptoms go away wthout giving you any more grief and that you have good news on whatever it is you have been dreading for so long now, that is finally coming today! I am sorry you had a run in with some wildlife in your van though!
cheryl, I am also very happy you are doing so well!! and that you had a good time and won money in Vegas!! wish me luck for our trip in July, that's about all the gambling I will be doing as well, quarter slots!
Continued prayers for Lisa hang in there sweety! I hope reading how much everyone cares about you and is praying for you gives you some strength.
Prayers for Candy too, that all sounds just awful.
Love2.... praying for you too, that you are doing ok with your chemo and that you have enough help with your children.
JSgirl, I feel for you in dealing with your son and tutors etc. went through lot's of that when our son was in school, and it can be so draining.
I honestly can not remember without looking back at my posts, if I mentioned about seeing a new oncologist last week.... even though I had a good mammogram result, they still can not say for certain, and with all I had gone through, when I talked to my gp about my lack of faith in my current oncologist, he wanted me to see this other one he thought highly of. well as usualy my gp was right on the money and this one is a gem. he is sending me for an MRI in the next week or so, he thinks a mammo is just not good enough at this point and wants the MRI to rule anything out for certain, he said that way I can actually relax a bit for the next 6 months instead of worrying about it even a little. he is doing some other blood work I've never had done before as well.
take care ladies, and if I missed anyone please forgive me, for some reason the forums on DIS are loading so slowly for me, it's seriously painful to change pages!! don't know what that is all about

 

[PatsMom]

Hello ladies!

Sorry I have been MIA but things have been horribly hectic lately. I just read a bunch of posts to catch up with everyone.

I am committed to doing a Relay for Life this June and every Saturday has been tied up with fundraising. Just found out that I get tomorrow "off" because someone's husband has volunteered to cover my task. I have been having some awful issues with my bursitis and I am currently taking some pretty hefty doses of Vicodin so I hate to drive.

On the cancer front, I am waiting until June to see the doctor again. Sometimes I imagine I can feel the cancer growing and am sure it has returned. Other times I manage to be more positive and convince myself that it really won't matter that we couldn't finish the full course of treatments. There is some controversy about how long the treatments should go on anyhow. Bladder cancer is not as well researched and the treatment protocols aren't as established as breast cancer unfortunately. And sometimes I think that I will lose my bladder anyhow - the treatments have pretty well crippled it.

Oh well, enough of my "oh poor me" party! Glad to hear of those doing well and I will continue to pray for those who aren't. We cancelled our plans to go to France to meet my daughter when we got the opportunity to pick up a new to us car reasonably. So I am driving my trip to France. But my daughter will be home in time to go to Disney with us in May. She hasn't been in a while and is really looking forward to it.

GAGWTA!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Lisa and Love2 - sending good thoughts and prayers your way

Cheryl - so glad you got good news. The cruise to Alaska sounds fun. I have never been. Our friends did one for their honeymoon. The pictures they showed us were beautiful.

smiley - glad you like your new oncologist. Hope the MRI turns out well.

PatsMom - good to see you. Sorry you are dealing with the bursitis. Hope the symptoms ease up soon. I am sure your dd understands about the trip. A reliable car is a real priority. You will see her soon and that will be great. Hope your next round of testing goes well. That is great that you are doing the relay.

Laurie - how is your dd doing with the yogurt store? Sounds like a good yummy job for sure!

Tomm. dh is taking the van to the body shop for the estimate. Got some paperwork for the other meetings that did not put a smile on my face for sure. I just feel like this is a rippling nightmare that will never end. I am hanging onto my faith for sure right now!

GAGWTA. Have a great week end everyone

 

[snappy]

Great news, Cheryl! I would love an Alaska cruise. I think my mom and dad took one years ago, I will ask mom.

Patsmom, so sorry that your bursitis is so painful right now. Is it is both shoulders? My dad had an attack in 1977 while mom was having a big surgery and I was taking care of my brothers. He could not even walk straight. I thought he was intoxicated when he came home but he was doubled over in pain. I will never forget that.

What kind of vehicle to you buy?

In regards to the bladder cancer, I think it is good that you have at least tried the treatment. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You sure are a fighter.

Smilie, I think I love the sound of your new oncologist. I am glad he is for the MRI. I think some patients have issues with the insurance. I hope yours sail through all the insurance approvals.

MaryAnn, thank goodness you were not hurt. Good think you bought a solid vehicle. I am sorry the meeting was postponed. Maybe time will be on your side, but I hate that it gives you more time to worry. I am wishing for the best for you.

DD16 has worked twice this week at her new little job and works tomorrow for 5 hours. She seems to like it, and the timing is right since I have time to pick her up from school and then I can pick her up on my way home. It really helps that everything is about 10 minutes away.

I am waiting for Dd21 to call to finalize the plans for the day after graduation. My dear friend that is putting her up at her place that weekend is insisting on having a post graduation party for us at her house that day. It is mostly to make it easier for my MIL, my mom and my sister who all have mobility issues. What a friend she is! She also shared some wonderful news with me this week-she is dating a wonderful man-they are in Florida this weekend meeting some of each others' families. We will get to meet him during jazz fest and also spend time with them during the graduation festivities. I am so happy for her, she split up with her husband while pregnant with her only offspring back in 1985. It was a very difficult breakup. She has been mostly single since then and has a done a spectacular job raising her son.

DS23 just got over the flu, and now DH has it, although DH caught it in time with the Tamiflu so he is doing a little better today. I had the flu shot so I think I may be ok. I had what I thought was severe allergies I think Monday or Tuesday night with extreme achiness. Benedryl and
Advil warded it off, along with the flu shot I guess.

I am keeping a watchful eye on DD16.

She has no time to be sick.

We are having a serious caterpillar invasion down here. Not as bad as a few years ago so far when the little pests chewed up every single leaf or every single tree in the area. But still, it is a creepy thing seeing them all over my pots and plants outside.

I am hoping they don't keep multiplying. At least they don't seem to be the stinging kind.

Naj is going to group training starting Wednesday for 5 weeks. She has been doing well with our new routine around here. She is very docile now on the leash now as well, even when we encounter a stray dog.

I am hoping the additional training and socialization from the group sessions will improve things further. She will be getting off the medicine soon I think so I am hoping that she is learning from training sticks.

DH is coming with us on our trip for the whole 10 nights supposedly. I am thrilled as I have MUCH more fun when he is with us. I guess taking last year off helped. We will have a busy time with graduation, followed the next weekend by moving DD21 out of the house she has shared with her roomies. We still don't know where she is moving to, but we will be heading to Disney the following Monday morning.

Think she is getting that we have our own lives? Such mean parents!!!!

GAGWTA!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sorry, not ignoring. My son was sick and in the hospital this week. Nothing serious, thankfully. Will try to catch up soon. Right now I'm beat.

 

[smiley_face2]

Pat's mom....I know exactly what you mean about from one day to the next changing your glass from half full to half empty!! right now I am having bad pain from a spur on my vertabrae that is pinching the nerves and I could hardly walk today. The weather make a big difference to me, I know my mom had bursitis very bad and it affected her as well.
Laurie, up here in Canada, our medical system is completely government funded, so if my dr. thinks I need an MRI or anything else, he just orders it and it's a done deal. We pay $116. a month premium which is adjusted to your income so low income people pay nothing. Every single person is covered no matter how rich or poor, and no one ever has to worry about big medical bills. It's much like the sytem in most of Europe, although England and France have dental care in theirs and we do not. anyway..... I am I must say JEALOUS of you living where you do. I am sick of cold rain and grey sky all winter and I have absolutely always as long as I can remember wanted to see New Orleans. We eat a fair amount of Cajun style food, don't know why but that's the way it is! Lol..... My favorite part of Disneyland is New Orleans Square and every time we are there I promise myself to make a trip to the real thing a reality!! If you ever have a chance to post some pictures here from there I would love it! and I hope we get to see some of your Disney pictures too!