Wellness

[wagirl]

HI JB--such a beautiful post from you!! I can relate to your up from the ashes story too--- --been there, no need for the t-shirt!!! But then I think all we cancer THRIVERS can relate somehow to what our lovely ladies and gentlemen are going thru. I think anything you have to say would be of value so please, don't be a stranger!!!

Diana---just letting you know that I think about you everyday. Remember---one foot forward!!!

celtic---ok girlfriend--let's get this going!!! Then you can stop having to think about it all the time--lord that takes alot of brain power!!! You will do great !!! Please let us know how you are doing when you can.

jackie----going up north to my SIL and family, for dinner for T-day. Only have to do a few things so will make them tomorrow.

goldie ---good to hear from you as always!!

Lannie--got your email----glad you are ok!!

PAM

[JackieHN]

Beautiful post JBin. I think Celtic and Diana need all of us now. Yes I suffered from post traumatic stress disorder after all of the treatment as well. My oncologist said it's normal. It's over but it wasn't fun at the time. Isn't it amazing how total strangers can be so close and supportive to each other.

Celtic, we're there with you in spirit. Just feel all of the positive vibes. Your going to get through the surgery just fine. Then we'll deal with the rest of it.

Pam, I hope you don't have traffic jams there like we have here. I'm staying in this house. It's suppose to rain/snow tomorrow. And Thurs isn't suppose to be too great either.

Cocoa, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?? I hope you'll be spending them with your family. The first set of holidays are really hard. I dreaded them after the loss of my beloved mother. I know about the great void that you feel right now. In time it will lessen.

Jxx

[Cocoablue]

Thank you so much everyone for keeping me in your thoughts and in your prayers. The only thing that is helping me is hearing from friends. I am in counseling, finally decided to take the antidepressant the dr prescribed, (am worried about a reaction because I'm really sensitive so I'll see how it goes) and talk to my friends in NJ as much as they will listen to me!. I don't think I can explain the depth of my despair, loneliness, and pain. So much for not being too sad. Only one neighbor calls me and invites me to do things like walk and come over for pizza. I feel so bad about all the people who said they will help with anything I need but are no where to be found. So I have 3 people who come to see me - my mother, sister, and neighbor. Dennis would be so disappointed in some people. Oh well, everyone has a life to live. Everything I do and everywhere I look I think of Dennis and all the things we did and will not do again. It's unbearable sadness. I know this is not the time to make any major decisions about what I'm going to do. I'm just trying to get through a day at a time. I know Dennis would never want me to be sad and would be the first one to tell me to stop but it's just not easy. Thanks again for thinking of me. Xoxo - Diana

[JackieHN]

Diana, I'm happy to hear that you taking something. Hopefully you won't have any reaction to it. Unfortunately when something terrible happens to us we find out who our friends really are. It's worse when you have family who weren't there when you needed them. I have a list of mine from cousins, to my sister in law. Lovely isn't it. However your friends from NJ are there for you and that's wonderful.

Your entitled to feel empty and alone. Losing Dennis has turned your whole world upside down. Right now you have to grieve. The therapist will help you with this. But it's going to take time. So go easy on yourself.

I hope Celtic is OK. Praying for her all day.

Jxx

[wagirl]

I wanted to suggest to everyone to go see a derm dr for a skin check-up----I went last week, and she found a spot that she took and biopsied and yesterday I got the results back and it is basal cell skin cancer. Needless to say I was shocked and a little freaked out about THAT word being throw my way again. So when I could finally stop the tears---I researched it and much to my HUGE relief, this is the most common form or skin cancer and is no way as awful as melanoma or squamous cell cancers. So I calmed down and will go in for the nasty little beastie to be excised and cauterized. That is all there is to it, as it is very small. Been sick with a nasty cough for a week so that news was not what I needed to hear.

Anyway--I need to run to chiro and then into the crazy super market world to get my things for side dishes for dinner tomorrow--will post later!!

PAM

[Lyn08]

I continue to pray for all of you every night. My heart goes out to those of you who are going through trying times.

wagirl: I've never been to a dermatologist, and maybe I should make an appointment. I have lots of moles on my body, but nothing looks out of the ordinary to me. One of my cousins who lives in Arizona goes to a derm, and she had a spot removed from her face that the doctor said could be pre-cancerous.

I had my physical and blood tests yesterday. I'm still waiting for my blood glucose, thyroid and cholesterol results (and I'm praying they will be good). I called the oncology department to find out about my CLL tests. My white blood count is slightly elevated from last June, but it's still stable. My red count is good. I spoke with the nurse, and she said the doctor is out until next week, so he hasn't had a chance to review my results. However, she said everything looks good to her.

I lost a lot of weight since my physical last year (I was 132 lbs., and now I weigh 114.6 lbs.). I need to gain weight, but also have to watch sugar, carbs and fat. So, now, what do I do?

My cousin who has esophageal cancer is having another scan and a heart test, plus his chemo on Monday. I'm hoping and praying that the tumor has reduced in size again, and there is no spread of his cancer. He has a better appetite now, and feels good. The oncologist is giving him a steroid with his chemo and also pills to take each day. The steroid (I don't remember the name) hasn't caused any side-effects.

Thanks for all your good thoughts and prayers.

[JackieHN]

Lynn you are losing too much weight. Watching your fats, carbs etc is one thing. Eliminating them from your diet is no good. I think you better start drinking some boost in between meals. Also please note. Having a diet filled with protein and little else will do a number on your kidneys. So your going to have to incorporate good fats and carbs.

Pam, everyone I met in Australia has had a basal as they call them there. Maybe we did a bit too much baby oil and iodine and broiled in the sun in our youth. It's nothing to worry about. Just a pain in the neck to have it removed.

Husband is making corn bread. Have to get out the old cast iron skillet. This should be a hoot!!

Jxx

[Annabellethecat66]

Just the title of this makes me smile! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Whomever you are, I am glad to have to hear to read my Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm about to have my thyroid removed at the early December. They are pretty sure it is cancer. Thyroid cancer is one of the easiest to contain and move on from. I'm not concerned anyway.

I just saw this post and wanted to tell you I'm glad all of you are survivors, as I know I will be.

[CelticAngel]

Surgery was at abt 2pm yesterday, finished at 4;30. I just got home. In a lot of pain from the 2 hr car ride home, but I'm resting now. Surgery went very well. I took much more antiaxiety medication for the last 2 days. Can't remember who mentioned they did this, but I thought it was a great idea, so had the song "happy" playing on my earphones as I entered OR and just before they put me to sleep. It let me focus on something else, even though I listned to only a few seconds before they put me out. Lots of folks in OR. They each greeted me. Everyone was so great. I am very lucky to have had such great care. The first thing surgeon told me In recovery was "no cancer "! Woo Hoo! My uterus was a bit larger than they expected as it was filled with fibroids. They hadn't expected quite so many. Everything goes to pathology to get more closely examined, but in their own examination and testing while was under they saw nothing suspicious. Didn't need to biopsy lymph nodes or anything. The thing that got me in the car to the hospital was a new mantra I have for myself. "I'll give it a try and if I don't like it I won't do it again." Had a bad reaction to diloden, so I know that now. They have me aleve & Tylenol instead. Didn't knock out pain as well, but at least I didn't gave a bad reaction. Was housed in a private room on the baby & mother floor. Husband stayed with me overnight there. No complaints!

[JackieHN]

See, I love saying I told you so. But I told you so. They don't know what's really going on until they get inside. Your CA125 was probably elevated from all of those fibroids. Who knows what was going on with your ovary. But all sounds good. So they gave you dilaudid for pain. Kind of powerful. But it's effective.

No pushing, pulling, lifting, bending. Basically you can walk around the house and do nothing. In the meantime. I want you to eat before you take the advil and drink lot's of fluids.

God Bless your husband for being so supportive. Now stop driving him crazy and when your recovered do something special for him. He's a saint.

Live your life, enjoy it, embrace it and stop letting all of this anxiety ruin it for you.

I am doing a happy dance that you are OK.

Jxx