Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part IV - GAGWTA

[luvmarypoppins]

Cheryl - love your pictures. You look so wonderful with Zoe in your arms. She looks so peaceful and content with her grandma, grammy etc. What name have you picked out? My one friend is nonna. So wonderful that you got the Garth tickets. I know you will have an amazing time at the concert.

Smiley - loved your pictures. Your ocean beach looks wonderful too. All that driftwood! We dont have anything like that here. Looks like you had a wonderful time with your dgds. I love the pie and the jam pictures. I havent seen yellow raspberries before. Congrats on the new boat and jeep too!

Jilly - so nice to see you posting. You are looking good and your hair looks great too! Your dd is beautiful too. What a wonderful thing to do in your dh memory. Wishing you comfort and peace when things are hard. Hang in there!

I am tired from working with ds in the garage yest. Where does all this stuff come from?

Laurie - you would be proud of me. Ds3 and I took the plunge. We booked the dolphin for 8/29 to 9/2 and then I have to book the swan for one night with dh ff miles because the swan and dolphin were both sold out and we were lucky to get the nurses rate for the other days. I already told ds i cant go on all the rides etc. He will have to go himself on the single rider line etc. I have to ask him if he wants to go to the water park alone one day. He is such a water rat anyway.

I have a meeting this week so we shall see. I hope its positive. We had so many teacher vacancies to fill but I think we are on track.

GAGWTA. Thinking of you all.

 

[Dancind]

Hi everyone, we're back. Takes me a few days to get my feet on the ground again.

The cruise was very nice, not Disney but still nice. First time to Alaska, and we got a good look at the SE coastal area anyway. Saw some humpback whales very close up, saw some glaciers, toured in a Beaver floatplane, ate lots of crab and a good share of wild salmon. Not as much as I would have liked. But no berries! Saw some wild berries along the roadside in places like Sitka, but didn't get to eat any. DWTS was absolutely a blast, and very entertaining. Got a photo with Tristan.

Found a basket of huckleberries at Pike's Market before we flew home and put them in the carryon! Making a sauce tonight.

So nice to see the photos of the beautiful kids. Smiley, what memories your granddaughters will have of their visits! The younger one has your smile. Zoe is gorgeous. And Jilly, your DD looks just like you and both are beauties.

No more trips planned for now. We shall see how long before I get the bug.

 

[jillyb]

Thanks Diana! DD is my mini me for sure!

Glad you had a nice trip. Alaska is on my bucket list!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Lisa - how are you feeling? I hope the pain is getting less for you and that the drains are manageable

Laurie - cant wait to hear about your trip

Diana - if you could post pics that would be great

smiley - in honor of your yummy pictures, I had some blackberries and raspberries for breakfast today

Peg - Have you attended MNSSHP?. Thinking of doing this with my ds. See below. Any tips or advice. Is it too childish etc. I see they have trick or treating for candy etc. I wouldnt do too much of a costume. Just some Minnie ears maybe etc.

Today is ds1 last day of work. Not a good situation. He is going to do an unpaid internship until he finds something else.

We had the terrible rains here that everyone was posting about. Half of dh work didnt come in and it took dh and all 3 ds much longer to go into their jobs. At least not in our immediate area was it all that bad. Alyssa's neighborhood had to have 2 pumper trucks come in to get rid of the water. The airport we fly out of to Disney set the state record with 13.5 inches of rain. wow!!

Dh has talked to the driveway guy. He is really busy and wont be able to get it done until the end of Oct. I think they will start the beginning of Oct. I will ask dh again. Not happy about this. I wanted it over and done with etc.

The plans for our mother/son disney trip have been made. We are going fri. 8/29 and coming home late 9/3. We are staying 4 nights in the Dolphin and 1 night at the Yacht Club. We got the nurses rate at the Dolphin and then the Swan and Dolphin are sold out so I asked dh if he would let me have some of his ff miles to book a free night at the Yacht Club and he said yes.

Now I have to think about the dining. Ds hates all things fish related. He doesnt really even like the smell of it etc.

Also saw that MNSSHP is 9/1 and I asked ds if he wanted to go and he said yes, so we shall see. I hope the weather holds out. I wouldnt mind the heat as its been a pretty cool summer here.

Hope everyone has a great week end. Check in when you can.

GAGWTA - Thinking of you all.

 

[Feralpeg]

Peg - Have you attended MNSSHP?. Thinking of doing this with my ds. See below. Any tips or advice. Is it too childish etc. I see they have trick or treating for candy etc. I wouldnt do too much of a costume. Just some Minnie ears maybe etc.

Kendall and I go every year. We love it! We love to sit on Main Street and watch the crowd enter in their costumes. The parade is terrific as are the fireworks!

There is just such a fun atmosphere in the park. We don't usually ride a lot of rides. We just walk around and watch the parade and fireworks. We don't bother with the trick or treating.

My costume usually consists of a Disney Halloween t-shirt! Some of the costumes people wear are amazing!

We are going on 9/28 this year. Can't wait!

 

[Dancind]

MaryAnn, I think the MNSSHP is worth it just for the fabulous parade! Last time we went, watched it twice. You have to go see the Headless Horseman. We do the t-shirt thing too.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

This thread is quiet.

Lisa - how are you feeling. Are you still with your sis, or are you home? Hope things are getting easier for you, strength and pain wise.

Laurie - did your mom have her surgery yet? Wishing her all the best. Know you must be busy with the college move for dd2.

Cheryl - hope you are feeling ok. I am sure you are waiting for your next visit with sweet Zoe.

Peg - I am looking at the 10 day weather updates, but dont know how accurate those will be etc.

I went to a school meeting today. It was better than I thought it would be in some respects, others not so great.

I only made 2 adrs for the trip. One was for BOG around 5 before MNSSHP and the other is for Beaches and Cream before we have to catch the plane.

Honestly, I am afraid to make any, because what if it storms and we cant get there etc. Then I am out the money for a no show etc.

GAGWTA. Hope everyone is doing ok.

 

[Feralpeg]

Mary Ann, it has been very hot this past couple of weeks. We hit 97 today. One degree more and we'd have hit the record for this date. The good part is that is wasn't quite as humid. No rain the past couple of days.

I haven't heard of any changes to this pattern for the near future.

On the bright side, it made doing the ALS Ice Bucket challenge a bit easier to handle since it was so hot out!

Hope everyone is doing well!

 

[CherylDan]

MaryAnn, I seem to remember you saying you weren't crazy about going to downtown Disney, but we really love Raglan Road! It's a fun place.........might be worth a look!

Yes, I agree, this thread has been really quiet! Hopefully it's because everyone is busy enjoying summer and doing well.

I'm doing good, I think that FINALLY all my electrolyte counts are where they should be, the swelling in my legs and feet seems to be under control, and physical therapy has helped immensely! I even was able to drive myself to PT last week......first time I've gone out by myself since last winter - it was wonderful! I have a cane that has become my new best friend, and just got a handicap placard which is very nice. I've been tolerating the chemo pretty well, haven't had a CT scan in a few months, so no new updates.

Going to visit our grandbaby tomorrow! Yay!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend,.

GAGWTA!!

 

[Feralpeg]

Mary Ann, I agree with Cheryl. Raglan Road is a great place. It is one of our favorites. Unfortunately, we've been avoiding DTD. With the construction, finding parking is terrible unless you go early in the day. I will be so happy when they finish the parking garage! The parking situation is so bad, they decided to cancel The Festival of the Masters thus year. Sad.

Cheryl, I read the posts, but I haven't had that much to say. I will be seeing a podiatrist next week about my feet. Walking is becoming more and more difficult.

On 9/11, I will be flying to Kansas City for a week to visit family and friends. I haven't been back there in 9 years. Should be fun. I'll try to be better about checking in

Ladies, you are always in my thoughts!

 

[CherylDan]

I've heard how awful traffic is at DTD, even Disney's buses are not any better. But I wonder how the boats are? We've always found the boat from Port Orleans to be really nice way to get there. Also, for some reason I seem to remember being able to go from the Studios to DTD by boat. Or am I crazy? LOL

Wow......now I am really hungry for Raglan Road! Yummmmmm.

 

[Feralpeg]

I've heard how awful traffic is at DTD, even Disney's buses are not any better. But I wonder how the boats are? We've always found the boat from Port Orleans to be really nice way to get there. Also, for some reason I seem to remember being able to go from the Studios to DTD by boat. Or am I crazy? LOL

Wow......now I am really hungry for Raglan Road! Yummmmmm.

The boats are still running from Port Orleans and Riverside, but the aren't docking in the marketplace. They now dock on the Westside. Unfortunately, you can't take a boat f Tom the studios to DTD. That boat only goes to Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach and Epcot.

 

[Straitlover]

Sorry I haven't been around. I was in the hospital 8/15-21. Came home form my sister's after the surgery and had been doing fine. Drove to the PS office 8/12 (first time driving!) to have 2 drains removed bec I had a BS appt 8/13 and didn't want my boss to have to take the whole day off from work. Still don't have all the path results - grrr!

Anyway, I was loading the car Fri 8/15 to head to my sister's to dogsit and help w/ my mother while sis went to the beach for vacation. I made sure the bags were really light, but I guess I overdid it, and I pulled a stitch in a drain. Had tp fold a bed pillow and hold it under my arm. Dummy me said I would go to the ER when I got to my sister's (remember she lives like 75 miles away!). I took one Norco, and actually I was fine driving down. However, getting out of the car, I moved wrong and that was it. i was able to get in her house and call her to come take me to the ER. When I checked in, my temp was fine, 97.something like usual.

Total wait to see the dr was 2.5 hrs. After about 30 minutes waiting, I started getting the shivers and shakes, and it got worse. By the time I got back there, my temp was 101.something. All kinds of tests, and they couldn't find anything wrong w/ me other than the pulled stitch and fever. They couldn't reach my BS (I told them to call the PS because he's handling everything right now), so they finally called the hosp where I had my surgery. They were worried about the fever and wanted me back there. So, I got to ride in the ambulance from Lumberton to Duke Raleigh (got to ER at 6:30 PM, left in amb 7:30 AM Sat). Duke Raleigh rant their own tests and wasn't sure what was going on, but they did get my PS in there. The ER emptied one drain to culture the drainage, and then all of a sudden it started looking all gross. The PS said he wanted to admit be for IV ABX but at another hops, so I had another amb ride! Found out later that's because he thought I may need surgery to remove the expander, and he preferred the other hosp.

Anyway, long story long, I have breast cellulitis. They are still not 100% sure if it's where the one drain was pulled where I developed a small seroma or if it's in the actual pocket (u/s showed fluid in both places, just a little at the pocket). I am at home w/ IV abx. The drainage looks normal now (and I only had a fever over 100 degrees for around 24 hrs), so hopefully it is not the pocket. PS says if the fever returns or the drainage gets yucky again, then it's surgery to either wash out the pocket or remove the expander and start over. I go back to see him on Wed, so we'll see how that goes.

My laptop and tablet charger were in my car down in Lumberton, so i was out of touch. I was able to borrow a tablet charger for a couple of days, but I had trouble trying to connect to DISBoards.

I will go back and read y'alls goings on and comment as soon as I get a chance. Feel like I'm taking and taking and not giving back!!!

GAGWTA!!!

 

[snappy]

I too have been MIA. Busy. Life happens. Lots of shopping for DD18 for her college apartment, most done before out trip to NYC thankfully as we only had 3 days after we returned front he trip before she moved in.

The NYC trip was glorious. Staying 6 nights was a good decision. We felt empowered to take our time, sleep late, linger over breakfast, meander around. We even gave up on taxis this time (except to and front he airport with the luggage lol) and took the subway everywhere. My brother noticed that the hotel in the same block in the lower east side as his apartment building was finally finished after 10 years (first developer went bankrupt during the financial meltdown in 2008).

Luckily Tom noticed that not only was it finally open but the hotel offered "soft opening" rates for June-August while they try and finish up more of the rooms. I did enough research to figure out to get a room with a terrace. The terrace was as big as the room! And it was furnished with a table and 6 chairs and a lovely planting of ivy and even a tree! The weather was absolutely gorgeous the entire stay with low temps and humidity so we could leave the french doors open. DD18 had her own room on the same floor, so it truly felt like wonderful way for DH and I to celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary! Everyone insisted we go to dinner the actual night of our anniversary so we did, but other nights we grabbed wine from a great wine shop on the corner to drink on the terrace or ice cream from the bodega on the same block.

The other cool thing was that even though the rooms with these terraces were only on the 7th floor, we still had wonderful views of the south Manhattan skyline and the Empire Empire State as well. Because the restaurant was still a work in progress, the hotel had breakfast brought in every day. It was a continental breakfast but the pastries were brought in from a place called Balthazar's which I was unfamiliar with previously but we visited on our last morning in Soho. Apparently their croissants and rolls are among the best in the city. We all indulged!

Anyways we had lots of nice dinners ad lunches with DD24 and her BF and DD18. We tried a bunch of new places, and even did a nice lunch on the terrace of our room with Jewish deli foods from a cool and apparently famous deli around the corner from the hotel called Russ and Daughters or something like that. DD24 knew what to order as she loves this food now.

We were able to hit 5 museums and had a wonderful time at the Carol King inspired Broadway play, Beautiful with the parents of DD24's boyfriend while DD24 and her boyfriend went with Tom and DD18 to see the Book of Mormon.

The last full day we ventured to Jersey City on the path train and DD24 and her BF had us up to their apartment. The apartment, the building and the views from their windows were unbelievable. My photos did not come out too good because of the haze at that height but looking out at the statue of Liberty and the harbor was a real novelty.

It was a great time for all.

DD18 moved in to her apartment on Aug 15th. I will admit to a lot of angst about the empty nest thing, which started months ago actually, while I was anticipating saying goodbye to Snappy too. It really came to a head though this last month or so. I sought help for my angst, and I can report now all is well. It's been 10 days and DD18 has come by often, mostly to pick up stuff and play with the dog. However, even though everything feels different, since she is close at hand, it somehow feels ok. Dare I say I even feel a little bit of freedom, like if DH and I want to run away at the spur of the moment for the weekend, we feel ok about doing so (she has agreed to dog sit with our doggie Naj).

It helps that DD18's complex is just 10 minutes away!

Thanks for asking about mom, MaryAnn. No surgery yet or even scheduled. She and my sister loved the 2nd surgeon they saw but he is down further south in Houma Louisiana. Just too far ( more than 2 hours each way in a lot of traffic with many bottlenecks) from here for the multiple post surgical visits he anticipates even given the best case scenario.

He was able to recommend a doctor who specializes in head and neck tumors located closer, and I am taking her to see him on Friday. Hopefully Mom will like him as much as the second surgeon, and we can get this surgery scheduled and start the healing process. The second surgeon did confirm this is a minor salivary gland tumor. He ordered a catscan, but it is still not clear how far the tumor has grown. That will hopefully be more apparent during the surgery, but there still could still be multiple surgeries to get clear margins. So although the surgery may be extensive, the second surgeon said even if the tumor has invaded other tissue, it is treatable via surgery and radiation. We won't know for sure if the benign result from the biopsy of the sample area will stand until we get the pathology of the tumor when the entire area is excised and reviewed.

Mom is taking it pretty well, but I do find she is more forgetful than usual. There is also some drama occurring courtesy of my other brother but my sister, Tom and I are stepping in and handling everything. Mom is just too fragile these days to talk to my other brother.

Enough about me, I am glad to hear you are doing well, Cheryl. Have fun visiting Zoe this week. Love the photos of her and your family, post some more from your upcoming visits.

Also loved your photo, Jilly, and smiley, your photos of your summer events and your transformed kitchen were so enjoyable and beautiful. I felt I was there!

Straitlover, I hope you get good news tomorrow and that you don't have to start from scratch with your reconstruction.

MaryAnn, I hope you have a good trip with your son. With Mom's doctor visits I had to give up any trips for a few months. I was lucky to get the NYC one in. I felt guilty that so much fell on my sister while I was gone.

This is long. I will see if I can upload a picture or two from our trip later.

GAGTWTA!

 

[smiley_face2]

Straightlover....I hope things turn a corner for you with your healing and you do not have to start over! that all sounded very painful and very scarey!!
cheryl....love seeing Zoe and your family! she is so beautiful!! So very happy to hear you are well enough to get out on your own! I bet that every step in that direction helps with building your strength and recovery!!
Snappy... sounds amazing!!! I can just picture you sitting on that terrace enjoying the sights and sounds of the city! hope we get to see some pics soon!!!
LMP.... I can not wait to hear about your trip!! I loved the trip I went on with the 2 daughters.... we have a little girls shopping trip down into the US planned for November, but I sure wish it were a Disney trip instead!!
Our weather has been just amazing!! one of the best summers anyone can remember!
We had the other 2 grand daughters come and stay a week and a half...the youngest is only 4 so we had a few tearful moments where she was missing mommy, it was her first extended time away....but by the end, she did not want to go home! lol..... I will upload a few pics and post in a bit.
our middle daughter is expecting her 3rd now...went through a bit of a scare though, thought she was going to lose it, but all seems good now. She is just over 3 months.
Jillyb....I love the picture!! you look great!! so happy with dear daughter!! I hope that things continue to go well for you healthwise, and both your hearts are healing!
Dancind.. one of these days we just might make it on an Alaskan cruise...we watch the ships going by on our walks to the beach.... It's a fairly inexpensive trip for us as we are already here just outside Vancouver so there is no flying involved. but somehow the scenery seems just too much like what we live in!! lol.... it seems like that is all we are eating these days, is fresh salmon..... I always want to head south! or to Hawaii or something..... We have done a lot of travelling especially the last year, and with the renovations, new vehicle and boat, and summer holidays with the girls, need some quiet time at home. But like you....I will see how long before that travel bug comes calling....bet it won't be long!

 

[smiley_face2]

Here we have more beach pics.... some fresh salmon for dinner... there is huge arts and crafts fair across from our house every year right around my birthday, so I always get birthday gifts from my daughters from it, this year the girls were here to go with us and Maya got her face painted. After we went for sushi and I thought she was soooo cute!! lol
A pic of me in our little boat having some smoked salmon nachos and a longboard (hawaiian) beer....some grown up fun after the girls went home and when I was waiting up at the hospital for dear daughter, looking out the window, I though to myself it looked like I was in California!! I guess maybe the climate change is a real deal? lol....

 

[Dancind]

Lisa, what a mess! Glad you are back home, sorry the reconstruction is not taking well. I did not have reconstruction, but did have an infection that required several bouts of antibiotics. Hate taking antibiotics. Line up all your yogurt etc!

Snappy, that trip sounds amazing. You are making me want to go to NYC. It seems a bit overwhelming, we are not used to really major cities. Though we are possibly going on a Med cruise that stops in Rome. That's a pretty big one. It's two years away. That's one way to stop planning so many trips.

Smiley, you are right, looks a lot like Alaska where you are. You probably have some cute little towns like Sitka too, and you see whales. No glaciers though, that was pretty neat. And a cruise means you don't have to cook or even make your bed for a week. You looks so cute, getting your Vitamin D with beer.

Peg, are you having neuropathy from the chemo? I hope there is something that will help. You need to go the parks for all of us! At least when it gets cooler.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Linda - saw your other thread. I hope your dh is recovering from his surgery. Wishing him all the best. That was too funny about the washer!!!

Lisa - So sorry you hve to deal with the infection and all that is going on with it. Prayers for you. Hang in there! I am sure its frustrating to not be feeling like you. Diana is right. Eat lots of yogurt. I had to have dh do 300 bandage changes when I had my infection. Thinking of you.

Peg - sorry you are dealing with the neuropathy. My heart goes out to you and I hope you are able to get some relief.

Diana - I thought of you when I heard about the Napa earthquake and how you and smiley love to go there. Has it affected any of the places you go to?

Cheryl - I hope you have a wonderful visit with Zoe and so glad you are feeling better. I am sure you on the Garth countdown now!

smiley - your picture sare beautiful. I love the beach and ocean.

Laurie - sounds like your trip was wonderful. I have heard about Russ and Daughters and Balthazar. They are listed as great by a food info thing I subscribe too. Have your dd check it out. I think it is called Tasting Table.

Cant believe ds and I will be in Florida on Friday. Peg, I am following the weather and boy does it seem hot!!! I am bringing our ponchos, lots of sunscreen and the misting water fan. Te fan part is broke but the mist still works so its good.

I didnt get so many great adrs because we decided on the trip so late and ds wasnt giving me too much feedback only I want to try new things etc.
So we are going to Hollywood and Vine and Coral Reef, Tusker House for lunch (ds wanted all of these.). Be Our Guest dinner before MNSSHP, Beaches and Cream. The rest we will play by ear. I am still looking into La Nouba for ds. He thinks there are many leaves on the money tree, lol.

GAGWTA

 

[luvmarypoppins]

ugh - I just looked at the weather forcast, storms, storms and more storms.

Honestly, I didnt even want to go this time but its the only time ds can go. I just hope its not all that bad. I really cant walk that fast in the rain while pushing the wheelchair etc. And I just hurt my L leg. It was a strange thing as usual. I hope it gets better. I have been taking tylenol. I really dont want my ds pushing me around when its going to be like 95 every day.

I also dont like the stress of having to go to an adr in a storm or you will get charged etc. for not showing up.

Peg - what is the real weather like there and for the next week??? I was looking at weather.com.

 

[CherylDan]

MaryAnn, enjoy your trip and try to stay cool!

Smiley, great pics, as always! Once again I have "I want to live by the beach" envy. LOL. Love the one of you in the boat, looks like you guys are making good use of that purchase! Glad to hear that everything is ok with your daughter's pregnancy now, that must have been a very stressful time. Happy Birthday, BTW!

Laurie, your trip sounds fantastic! I've never actually been to NYC as an adult, just not something that really got my attention - but your trip reviews have certainly piqued my interest! Looking forward to seeing your pics. Glad to hear that your DD is able to stop by often, I'm sure it makes her absence easier to take. Keeping your mom in my thoughts.

Straitlover (George Strait?) you sure have had a lot going on.....I hope you are on the mend soon and starting to feel better even sooner!

We had a great time seeing Zoe last weekend. She is just about 2 months old now. We all went out for a great lunch. I love that everything is within walking distance of their apt (well not for me, I have a transport chair -lol, would take me forever to walk a couple blocks!)

Drove myself to PT again today, it is going well. Have chemo again Thurs.

having a hard time believing that August is almost over - the summer has gone by soooooo fast!

Some current pics of my little cutie pie! LOL, grandma's get to brag like that, right?

GAGWTA!!