<p>DTE,
You’re smart not to risk squandering what strength you have on an illness you don’t need to get. You can always confer with a teacher via telephone or email, you don’t need to expose yourself to more germs.</p>
<p>Save your strength to grow your strength. All the way back to full health and full strength.</p>
<p>thanksits hard this is the first time I have not been able to do things for my kids and that has always been a priority, My new motto is it has to be “good enough” but i dont like it.</p>
<p>sixties I’m glad the tamoxifen isnt too bad , I ave to take it at the end, how are you feeling with all this, better about things? as I have been reminded its spiritual, mental and physical,</p>
<p>DTE, oh, I hear you. That is the hardest part for me.
Get lots of rest – I figure it’s the only reason I haven’t gotten the flu yet.</p>
<p>counting down you do know, and i think of you and it gives me hope. Hope you are feeling well. Got my seasonal flu shot today.</p>
<p>The Tamoxifen doesn’t seem to be causing much problem. I think, tho, my whole body is rebelling against the whole episode and may take awhile to calm down. I have developed a cellulitis in my breast, taking Keflex. I think my rheumatologist will be able to better sort things out because I think the problem really is in that area. I see her in a couple weeks. We live in the Denver area and have lots of snow but it’s all melting, skiers are happy. I identify with an old MTM (Mary Tyler Moore for those of you too young to know) episode where she says she tried skiing but didn’t think she had the calling.</p>
<p>Since I adored the MTM show…technically Mary was in ski school with a (or some) little kids and a nun. The kids learned immediately. What a surprise…and the nun told Mary that she didn’t have the calling.</p>
<p>When will they bring back MTM and the first Bob Newhart show? (The one with Emily?) I loved those shows.</p>
<p>Sorry, factoids from someone who has WAY too much time on their hands.</p>
<p>ellebud – Try watching old MTM episodes on a free website called hulu. Don’t know if they have Bob Newhart!
Prayers and best wishes to everyone on here – my favorite BIL is battling kidney cancer. As someone recently said to me, cancer touches all of us.</p>
<p>My h was home the other day and we were watching Emergency and one Adam 12 and dragnet, we were just laughing to each other the D had no idea waht we thought was so interesting. We were also talking about waht a good ending the second Bob Newhart show had. Enjoy your halloween!</p>
<p>dbwes:</p>
<p>I cannot tell you how happy you made me tonight! They have BOTH MTM and the original Bob Newhart shows! I will watch them a little at a time to savor the moments.</p>
<p>I love those old shows. My kids and I used to watch old I Love Lucy shows, the year in Hollywood. Suddenly they (Lucy, Fred, Ethel and Ricky) were driving down OUR street. We have a gizmo that lets you back up the show. There was our house in the 50s! We were all screaming. </p>
<p>On a serious note: I wish your BIL an easy of a time as possible in treatment. And then, when it is over let it be a bad memory that fades quickly. And, hopefully, wonderful celebrations to follow that celebrate life.</p>
<p>Ellebud i think you should have been a poet you put htings so well. Yes wishing your brother in law well. does he have to have treatment? My aunt had it an incicdental finding they removed it and she is ok on her pet scans. Lately it seems my list is so long, we have to so something to kick cancers ass, but then again many of you have/are/ will</p>
<p>Clarification: she went to the ER for pain what she thought was a heart attack. turned out to be reflux but during some testing for the pain found the tumor. that reflux saved her.</p>
<p>anybody get taxol for chemo? I’m getting anxious.</p>
<p>I keep wondering how everyone is doing? i am struggling through these weeks, but think of you all often and hope you are well.</p>
<p>DTE–you are so sweet to think of others. Give us more details about how you’re doing.</p>
<p>Warning to all of us: I didn’t realize how vulnerable resistance is after treatment. About six weeks ago I got the flu. (It wasn’t h1n1…I’ll tell you how I know later). Took tamiflu and got a tiny bit better. Doctor said 12 days…fever went down to 101 so I thought that I was getting “better”. Four days later, after hearing one of those TV news doctors with general information for all…most of it half baked…I realized that I wasn’t breathing “well”. Emergency room…bilateral pneumonia (double pneumonia)…six days in the hospital. Funny thing about those with insurance: they rule out EVERYTHING, including TB. (Which I didn’t have…but now I have a PULMONOLOGIST!..to add to my collection…He is excellent btw) Went home (because I begged) right before Thanksgiving. Still am very weak.</p>
<p>So, they don’t know which flu I had: but I am got the pneumonia, flu, anti clotting…you name it shots. (To all: try to get a pneumonia shot. I am nowhere near 65, but we qualify). Oh, and my lungs didn’t clear normally…but they are on the mend.</p>
<p>…and next week I have my yearly mammogram so I am a wreck. And then I get to see my oncologist for a check up.</p>
<p>What all this is saying is: We are VERY vulnerable. Do NOT be afraid to ask to be moved to a different seat in a restaurant if the patrons next to you are ill…or the server is hacking. Purell (and the like) is your friend. Do not overdo, which I do all the time. And if you get sick…don’t dismiss it. I did, and it almost killed me.</p>
<p>I keep trying to tell myself that with all the CT scans, blood tests, and the like if there was anything “there” they would have said something. But I am still a wreck about Tuesday. Wish me luck.</p>
<p>Ellebud: my sympathies are with you. My husband has non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma–an immune system cancer–has been in remission for 8 years now (!! boy does that feel good to write!!). After his chemo he had no immunities at all, as far as we could tell (the monoclonal antibody treatment wiped out his b-cells). He does a number of things that boost his immune system function: takes a probiotic daily (in addition to eating yogurt), takes flax seed oil (he doesn’t like fish oils), and exercises five or six times a week. It takes time to recover from cancer and its treatment; be kind to yourself.</p>
<p>And good luck on the mammogram.</p>
<p>(PS I’ve had pneumonia several times: it takes about two months, in my experience, to start to feel normal again.)</p>
<p>Thank you for telling me the two month timeline. I’ve been out of the hospital two weeks…I drove 4 blocks, walked 3 short blocks…had lunch with my daughter. Returned home: I’m going to nap now…I keep thinking that I am “failing” in recovery.</p>
<p>Ellebud: I am a 3 year breast cancer survivor and it can be years before you don’t come home and crash every night. I had pneumonia about 8 years ago, caught it quickly, did not need to be hospitalized and was generally healthy and it still took over a month to get my strength back. Do not push it.
You asked earlier about taxol. I did 3 weeks of taxol and then switched to taxotere for another 9 weeks because I was starting to get some neuropathy symptoms in my feet and hands (tingling, numbness and pain). It went away after the switch and I have had no lasting neuropathy. I have many friends who have ongoing problems. The key for me was watching for it and talking with my oncologist as soon as I noticed symptoms. This is not to say that every one gets these side effects from Taxol and some people get them from taxotere and not taxol. The important thing is to tell your doc what is going on. (And to have a doc who listens.)
Good luck and treat your lungs gently.
Ellen</p>
<p>Oh ellebud I did not read this before I got your message drats what a year it has been for you !
its true about insurance my liver function tests were elevated and they drew hepatitis screens twice one month apart I was neg the first time and could not fathom how I would contract it at home in my bed in another month. Of course it freaked me out because I am a nurse.
I find it hard getting docs to listen I have alot Gi symptoms with the taxol and the onc said to me " women usually tell me what works for them" I have tried everything and I have no idea what works, but have lost 50 pounds dont eat much, and am tied to my Bathroom. I have ha a couple of decent days and that helps me but when I am on a roll I just want to quit. How could this be good to debilitate you rbody so MUch?
Ellebud you have always been such a help I am so sorry. hope you feel better soon.</p>