Joppette

Kathleen, has anyone told you about Cancer Grace yet. It is a web site we go to for more information about our diagnoses. They won't give medical advice, but they will give you good information. It's http://www.cancergrace.org Use your name you signed in here with so we know you are who you are there! The good doctors will post and give you good information on what you are looking for. MI Judy

Good afternoon! Another amazing day here in Michigan. Supposed to get to 80 today! This is freaky! It is so nice, but not good for our farmers. Poor guys, their fruit trees are blooming way too early, we know we'll have at least three or four frosts before Memorial Day, and that will ruin their crops. Today started rough. I did good like you said and got on a schedule with the Compazine. But then I slept through the time of a dose, and woke up horribly nauseated. Fortunately R was here. He got me a big glass of ice water, one of my pills, and a yogurt. All of that helped me so much that I was able to get showered, and go to my girlfriend's breakfast/brunch party. It was lovely. So I forgot to take the Compazine on time again, and it reminded me when a big wave of nausea hit me. i took the medicine, and went home to nap for an hour. When I woke up I had a bowl of ice cream sherbert, and felt good! I am thinking the sherbert is a solution for this! Because of this, I"m going to go get those little chocolate dipped ice cream balls too! I can't remember who makes them, but am thinking that this might be a nice treat as well. We shall see. If I can get on top of the nausea, I'll be doing good. If anyone here has experience with the ringing in the ears too, please speak up! IT comes in waves, but I was warned that it is a pre-cursor of hearing loss due to Cisplatin. I can't imagine it would happen with one treatment, but am curious if othershad the same experience. Have a good rest of the weekend! MI Judy

Hi Petunia, I was surprised to find this from Thursday with no one posting to it! One thing I think I want to start with is this: lung cancer is a disease. No one deserves it, smoker, ex-smoker or never-smoker. Not eveyone who smokes gets this disease, and not every who never smoked is safe from this disease. If you look at the statistics, a lot more people get lung cancer that never smoked, or quit over 20 years ago. So please don't blame yourself or your Mom herself. As for the other questions about chemo, and others, could you give us more details of what is happening with her treatment? Was it operable. Are they doing radiation therapy. Did it spread beyond the lungs to the lymph nodes or even further. All of these details will help us. And then if she did start chemo, what kind of chemo is she being given. Some common names that I'm familiar with are Carboplatin, Taxol, Taxetere, Cisplatin, Navelbein, and there are many others. That will help us. So if you could give us as many details as you can it will help us to help you! Judy in MI

Thanks for the advice on the nausea. Since it is flirting with me in an unpleasant way, I am taking your advice, and am on Compazine every four hours now. As the day progresses, I'm not feeling well. I kind of feel like I am coming down with the flu. Nausea, aches in the muscles, and my skin hurts. We know it's not the flu. I better get out my list of home remedies and get that going. Now....where did I leave that list of home remedies? MI Judy

Hi all, it's just cresting afternoon now, so Good Afternoon! Thanks for all the advice my friends, it helps. Judy you are right, the side effects are becoming more apparent today. The nausea is still not an issue, but i'll take your advice and take the medication at bed time tonight. Bud, the biggest issue right now is aching muscles. Not horrid yet, but I can tell it's going to be an issue. And my ears are ringing big time. They mentioned that a rare side effect of Cisplatin is hearing loss and that if my ears started ringing to let them know. So of course, that is what is happening. There is nothing they can do about it this weekend, so I'll wait for Monday and see. Hopefully it's going to die down and not become an issue. If the band is still playing on full volume on Monday, I'll mention it so they can figure out what to do. One of the guys in my Gilda's group did lose his hearing from Cisplatin. He has two hearing aids now. His happened over time though. I'm glad the doctor gave me the warning, because I"m not sure i would have told them about it without it. Last night I slept like a baby! And I slept in until 9:00 which is huge! I think the time release morphine is responsible for that so I am so glad they thought to give that to me. Today is going to be a slow day. I need to run to the pharmacy for a prescription, but I think that will be it. Tomorrow I am invited to a girlfriend brunch/lunch that I hope to be able to go to. But we will see.... Ok, I need food in my tummy. See you all later Thanks for your input and advice both here and on my Care Page for those of you following there. Judy in MI

And mighty fine air it is here. The windows are open, and the fresh air is amazing. If someone beats me to this, please just merge mine in, moderator person! Chemo went okay. IT was a long day. Wasn't happy with the burning in the vein for about 2 hours, but they said it was normal and would be better once I got the port installed. That is scheduled for next Wednesday. I didn't have a good night after chemo. R and I got into a horrible argument (his fault of course) and I developed a raging headache. I dozed on and off all night, enough to wake up and say "yep, the headache is still there" and then sleep again. Today after a light breakfast and hot shower, it seems to be much better, so I don't think it was chemo, but rather high blood pressure and angst. I was surprised to wake up at 4:00 with nausea so soon. They really thought I wouldn't need anything for nausea, but I was slamming that Compazine as soon as it started. It's much better now. AGain, I think having a little bowl of cereal and a yogurt for breakfast staved it getting worse. I do remember that when I let myself get hungry the last time, that it was worse. So I'll try to discipline myself to eat small but often now. Other than that I'm okay. Still trying to adjust to the oxygen and tubes. Does anyone know of any tricks to train the stupid dogs from contstantly standing on it. I get up to go and my head gets yanked backwards because of them. I swear my ears will be lower as a result of this! All I can say is that life sure does make wild twists and turns when we least expect it. It tells me to just enjoy each day for what it has, and let go of the bad. Funny this morning, I couldn't find my wedding ring. I think I went all over the house for like 10 minutes looking for it. I take it off to put lotion on as my hands feel so dry since I got out of the hospital. AFter searching high and low, I gave up thinking it's bound to show up right? AS I sat here catching up on emails and posts, I look down and found it! Right on my finger where it was the whole time! Oy! IT's too soon for chemo brain! LOL. I'm going to find a way to get outisde and enoy this weather. IT's spectacular. Hope you all have a wonderful day. MI Judy

Well this is kind of discouraging for me (it's okay, I'd rather hear the down side than go into it thinking it's the cat's meow.) I get mine in next Wednesday. Yesterday was my first infusion of Cisplatin and Navelbine, and I was wishing I had a port. I don't know which one hurt more, but my vein was on fire through the whole thing. Today my forearm is very sore at the site of the IV, and it hurts up the vein. AS long as I don't touch it, it's fine! So I'm not touching it! MI Judy

Janet - no answer here! However I am about to get a port put in next week, so I checked this out, out of curiosity. I'll be back to see what our "experienced port" people say! MI Judy

Great pics Bud! What a lovely family. Well the sun is beating down on me as I sit here in the West facing window. It's awesome. The temps are forecasted to be 70 something for the next seven days. That never happens here. We are loving it. I'm trying diligently to not be nervous about tomorrow, but I'd be lieing if I said I was not. I am. Good news is that the cisplatin/navelbine cycle is week one and two, and then week three is off. Week four is then week one of the next cycle! So I will be done (if there are no complications) by the last week in May! That would be lovely. I just read that back over and it sounds funny. But I think you get it. They are changing the pain meds too. I was on Immediate release morphine and complaining about being drowsy so much. I need the pain meds. I tend to try to skip them because of getting drowsy, but can tell that I pay the price in pain and not breathing properly, hence not healing properly either. I have a script in the mail to me for the time release kind, and think that will space it out better so I don't have these highs and lows. Judy in MI

And oh it's going to be good here today. High of 60 lovely, warm degrees! I can't wait to get outside. So this will be quick. I have a baby shower to go to today. I love baby showers. I don't love the silly games they play, and usually find that I just have to "pee" when they begin. LOL. Maybe I'll just try to get into the spirit of it all today. I mean who does not love to guess how many diaper pins are in the jar (when no one uses diaper pins anymore). Maybe it should be velcro straps? LOL. Day 2 of sleeping like a baby again. I will never, ever take sleeping the night through for granted again. It's the BEST feeling to wake up at 7:00AM and the last memory is of laying down at 11:00PM. AH! The "every two hour" waking regime was getting old. This is so nice. I'm thankful for the sun that is shining. Thankful for a baby that is about to be born that is healthy. Mommy to be is too. A year ago at this time, she had a failed pregnancy that was agonizing for her. Now? Much happiness for all. I think I'm going to try to remember to always add a thing that I'm thankful for in this post every day. I think it's probably a good thing to start. I know this is Saturday so it's likely not to get many visitors, but for those of you that do? Name one thing that you are thankful for today please! MI Judy

Kasey, this was fantastic. What a story. I could relate to the other posts you could write with titles like "How Lung Cancer Changed my Relationships with Friends or rather Friends with ME". Some of my friendships have been deepened greatly and are richer and better than ever. Surprisingly some of the friends I thought were my closest friends have backed away, completely. What kills me is that people are afraid of me (it). I'll see someone at a gathering, and she will look at me, and no one is around so the obvious thing would be to say HI, and she turns her back and walks away. I know that is insecurity, fear, etc., but it still hurts. Ah, I'm fresh back into this thing again, so I'm super sensitive all over again. I guess it will get better with time. Good job on the article. MI Judy

Bud, I laughed at the picture you painted with the big chair. We have one of those for R. He and 100 pounds of dogs fit in it just fine! LOL. Judy the duck! I love it. She knew you were special when she heard your name! That is a cool story. We did miss the Northern Lights but not because they were not here. We live 40 miles from Lake Michigan, and they reflect solar events really well. A lot of our friends saw them and said it was about a 45 minute light show that rivaled the best 4th of July firewords display. It was full of every color of the rainbow, and quite intense. I have no idea where we were, but we didn't even realize they were happening. Sheesh. As for chemo, I don't start until next Wednesday, the 14th. R is out for the evening at one of the Gilda's Club laughfest events. His company bought out the house for a dinner/comedy show tonight. It began with a strolling dinner at 5:30 and the show starts at 8:00 to 10:00. That is way too long of an event for me! So I went shopping today. I found these super soft, medium thick sweat shirts in bright and fun colors at Penny's. I bought 3 the last time. They were $5.00! So I went back and bought the other 3 colors. When I got home, I laid down for a late afternoon nap, and am now waking up with a cup of coffee. If I don't nap, I sit in my chaise lounge and nod out all night, trying to hold off sleeping until later. I know if I fell asleep at 9:00, I'd be up at 3:00AM for the day. So I got in a nice one hour nap and am ready to rock and roll now! Well at least until 9:30PM. LOL. MI Judy

Ah! Well I do know WBR, or Whole Brain Radiation! My Mom and one of my best friends both had it. Both had marked improvement in their well being, and symptoms from the brain lesions. They did not have any cognitive issues. The only complaint I heard was that it caused minor fatigue, but they both said it was not a big deal. I could see almost immediate improvement in both of them. My friend's left side of her face was paralyzed from the tumor, so one side of her mouth and face drooped and her speech was slurred. By the second treatment, her face returned to normal, and her speech was normal. My Mom was having Grand Mal seizures. They were violent. They subsided after the first treatment. MI Judy

Hi, I wanted to welcome you here too. Judy from KW goes by the name "jaminkw" both here and on the cancergrace web site. I sent her a private message asking her to check this post out to see if she can help you! Judy in MI (the other judy who is in michigan)

Hi there! Well, I googled PCI because I never heard of it and all I couldn't find a reference to this. Maybe if you gave a bit more detail, we might be able to help! Have a good day. MI Judy

IT's 3:00AM. I have got to stop this middle of the night stuff. I can sleep well, but if I wake and feel good I want to stay up and enjoy that. Then I'm tired all day. I know if I'd make myself sleep at night, I'd feel good during the day but my stubborn pea brain won't get it. I enjoyed reading the responses yesterday. I would like apologize for my comment about the Tarceva eyelashes. You know, people make silly comments because they just don't know. That is what I did. Tonight I googled Tarceva eyelashes, and what I saw was terrible! I wouldn't wish those eyelashes on anyone! Lily, your duck story was funny! Don't mean to laugh, but picturing those big flat feet, slapping that mud, well, I just had to grin! And here Janet is taking on that ornery curmudgeon of a rooster to protect her duck babies. LOL. And then to see Janet try to psycho-analyze her rooster is even funnier! Janet, the gift card idea is brilliant! I may have to go to that. But we both agree that having these helpers is so wonderful. How blessed are we? So the oxygen technician lady came by yesterday. The good news is that I qualified for the conserver regulator. So now my little C tank lasts 12 hours, rather than 3! I was given a teeny little B tank that will last 3 hours, which is nice for quick trips in and out of stores, church, etc. My larger E tank is now good for 16 to 20 hours! Wow, this will make getting around so much simpler. This allowed me to get rid of the really big Q tank that was strapped in the back of my car. I used Q for travel times. I like this new system. They have a different way of configuring the lengths of the hoses, and more options for other conveniece items. What was best of all was that she came in, she was relaxed, and when she saw my big list of questions, she didn't get that "deer in the headlights" look. She spent a couple of hours there explaining everything to me and I sure do understand all of it better now. Like this. Before yesterday, I was told that Saturation % has nothing to do with why I get so short of breath (SOB). Wrong. When I am SOB, the body takes oxygen destined for extremities (like hands and feet) and instead routes the oxygenated blood to the vital organs which need it more. That explains why my hands are so cold that I need to have my heating pad on most of the day trying to keep them warm. That also explained why I've been feeling so light headed. I called the "old" supplier and asked them to come pick up their equipment. Of course then the manager calls to see if he can salvage the relationship. I'll call him tomorrow. I just don't get it. They didn't explain anything well, which led me to calling the with a lot of questions. I ordered an oxygen testing meter, which they didn't deliver, even after 3 requests for it. Finally I cancelled the meter order, and got it elsewhere, and what do they do? Of course, deliver the unwanted meter. I complained on the phone and to the delivery person about them delivering tanks that were less than 1/2 full. Both of them promised it wouldn't happen again. IT did, twice. I told them I was frustrated and hoped that these kinds of issues would be resolved soon. They were not, and I didn't get a call from a manager. But finally fire them? The manager calls. Oh well, no big deal. I'm really pleased with what I have now so that is good. Well, it's time to get back under the blankets and snooze again. The wind is howling, and rain is pelting the windows. It's such a weather statement that says "get back in those blankets and sleep, it's nasty out here". So I am going to obey! i guess a cold front is blasting in. One more roar from old man winter. Have a good day today. I think I am going to do just that. After a bit more sleep. MI Judy

Good morning all! Janet, I'm picturing you teaching that rooster a thing or two and it's making me smile. I have no doubt you'll come out of this the winner! Judy. I would not have reached for eggs that had an occupied nest either. LOL. KW I had to find a picture of my favorite way to eat French toast (which is really any way!). Anyway, yum! I'm not on Traceva, as you know, but crazy, out of control eye lashes sound like a really good thing! Janet, I understand about the schedule changes too. They change just one thing, and it starts a chain reaction of all the other things that have to change around it. It's a hassle. I'm very lucky that a bunch of women at church are mobilizing for the beginning of chemo next week. They asked what I wanted, so I told them. I'm not shy about asking for help anymore. It's just Randy and I, and he can't be there for everything, so if they offer, I'm taking it, combind with a lot of gratitude for their kindness. So I asked for a list of People that Can Give me Rides, whether that is to drop me off for chemo, and pick me back up, or taking me to a doctor appointment, or Gilda's Club, or whatever. How nice it will be to have this list! The next list is People that have an hour to spare that could come over and move a couple loads of laundry, or dust, or other small projects that add up. Just knowing that some of these things are not piling up waiting for me to feel better is a great relief. Next is People that can be on call for when Randy is out of town on business, or out for the day. This is more of a "nice to know it's there" kind of list. But maybe there are a couple of folks that don't have kids or other commitments that may be willing to be on call for whatever thing I may need. Another one is People that would make a meal. I would not use this much, but I'm thinking about the rough days when Randy could use a break and I won't be feeling good enough to cook. Just knowing that a meal is in the freezer or was dropped off will provide comfort for both of us. I thought I'd start by having that done on chemo day. It's only every 3 weeks, but would be such a comfort to both of us. So you get the idea. How amazing is it that there is a group of women from church that are willing to do this. Even more amazing for me is that it's available for me. I know so many who have no one. I used to be on these kinds of lists for people, and am glad I did. I'm not ashamed to ask for help if the helpers are there and willing. It's a blessing. A rare one. So I'm off. The new oxygen supplier technician is coming out today to test me for on-demand oxygen. I think that would work better. I'm going through the little portables so fast, and I'm not even going out that much. I'm going to ask her about liquid oxygen, and refillable oxygen tanks as well. Now that I've been on it for a while, I know what questions to ask. I'm looking forward to this. Next is pulmonary rehab. I have the packet of information, but haven't gone through it. I need to do that. I thought I'd wait until chemo is over, but they are trying to tell me to do it during chemo, that it will help a lot. I trust that is true, so I'll get on it today. Ok, have a good day. It's another ridiculously sunny day. Supposed to get to 60!!!!! Yesterday the sun got so warm that I actually had to open a couple of windows! It was awesome. MI Judy

I found him when I searched for Joe B. This is an article that was written about him in 2009. What a remarkable man. viewtopic.php?f=50&t=41567&p=390309#p390309

Ginny, I don't think I knew Joe? But my condolences go out to his family and loved ones. It's my hope that the reason we didn't hear from him here is that he was busy out there living life to the fullest, and making memories. God bless his family. MI Judy

"Through it all, the one thing I did not expect was for caregiving to be so hard. I am getting teary eye as I write this because I am feeling like a rollercoaster: I am so happy to be able to do this for my parents (especially my dad), But then I feel the pangs of resentment because I have had to change my life completely to accommodate theirs, then I feel guilty for feeling resentment. I feel alone most of the time, like the rest of my family has distanced themselves from the situation, and I have this entire responsibility on my shoulders." Hi Maria, I put what you wrote in quotes, and all I can say is this is EXACTLY how I felt when my Mom was dieing of lung cancer. For whatever reason, my 3 brothers distanced themselves and would not become involved in her care. I was 40 years old at the time, and it was so hard. My step-dad was elderly and in denial of my Mom's illness, so I had to care for him and his fragile heart as well. It is exactly as you describe. A roller-coaster. Thank God for making roller-coasters so we knew how to label our feelings when they are just crazy and out of control, and we don't know what to do. We want to help, and we are glad we can be there, but still. It's just so hard. I had to put my life on hold too. My Mom's serious illness' began in 1989, and she died in 1996. In the last year of her life, I had to basically beg my husband to understand. My phone rang at all hours, and my boss (fortunately) had to be understanding. They didn't live with us, but I lived a couple of miles from them, so I was over there a lot. Looking back? As difficult as it was, I am so glad I was there. Now that time has blurred the rough stuff, what shines through are the memories of the times we had that were so poignant. Conversations happened that never would have if I hadn't been there. You wrote "asked me to take a photo and email it to my brother with the caption "this is what hot looks like"... he made me laugh with that, especially because I think he could tell I was about to implode when he started getting the carboplatin". That memory will make you smile for a long time. Dad being silly and trying to not only make you smile, but your brother as well! What a good man. Things like this "But his smile comforted me tremendously." You get these precious times with him. Hang on to them! They are gifts. The foot massages! How wonderful that you get to comfort him with this! My Mom loved them as well. I remember painting her toe nails a bright beautiful red color, and she kept looking at her toes and smiling. Now I doubt Dad would enjoy that, but it's those little things that make it all okay. You mentioned your faith. Hang onto that too. It was all I could do to face the bad times, and only with prayer and faith was I able to understand that this is part of life, and to look for those good moments to tuck away for the future. My Mom died in 1996, and today my memories are only of the special times we shared, just us two. As far as you goes. This is not good! "I didn’t realized how little I have taken care of myself since the diagnosis and my body finally rebelled against me this past weekend when I spent the entire weekend with nauseas, vomiting, and just feeling horrible." I did that too. But someone how we need to find ways to take care of us along with everything else. If you scroll back up to my last post to you, you will find links to places that can help you with this. A hot bath with sweet smelling soaps after Dad goes to sleep, quiet time with a book you love, snuggling up to someone that can give you a bit of care, whatever it is, find those things so you can be the best you can when the time calls for it. Take care Maria. Your post has struck my heart strings because it is so similar to my experiences. God bless you for the goodness you are doing right now for your Dad and for your Mom. Judy in Mi

Hi Maria, I'm so glad KW Judy brought this back. I missed it the last time. I am in agreement with the others. So much can be going on in Mom's mind right now. An update would be so appreciated! Also we have a board index here that is specifically for Caregivers. I've been both, the person with cancer, and the Caregiver, so I've been fond of this section. Here's a quick link there. viewforum.php?f=12 This is a link I wrote on the Stress of Caregiving and how we react to it. viewtopic.php?f=12&t=45177 Lastly, on the home page of Lungevity.org are all kinds of resources to help you as you move through all of this. One of the pages is the Caregiver Resource Center. I've put that link here too: http://events.lungevity.org/cg/index.html Let us help if we can. MI Judy

LOL Judy. I think us catching you goofing off is great! Goofing off is a good thing I think. On the thick hair issue, that is not something I was ever blessed with. My 3 brothers all have these huge heads of thick, luxurious hair. No receding hairlines, not even a hint of male pattern baldness. One is 58, one is 56, and one is 47. I, however, (unfortunately struggled with) have always had very fine hair. It's really soft, but feels just like the hair on an infants head. Really fine. I think that is why I began to lose large amounts of hair after the first treatment the last time. The baby hair can't stand up to chemo's protein robbing effects. The good news is that it's always looked thin, so it's not like that would be upsetting to me. So we'll see. I'm not heading to the barber until I have to! LOL. We'll see about the weight. Those steroids can increase appetites, and a month from now, I may be going the other way in my silly complaints! Although I have a lot of size 12 and 14 clothes in the closet. I don't have any of the smaller sizes. It's okay. Now I'm goofing off. I'm heading out to get some stuff done. MI Judy

Good morning all! Well Judy, it's sunny here today. However, just North of us, they got 20 inches of snow Saturday! They are in a "state of emergency" in 3 counties. The power is out, and all of the other stuff that happens, or rather doesn't happen, when power goes out. We were so lucky to only get 2 to 3 inches, though the roads were dicey for sure on Saturday night. As for the chemo? The only reason I mentioned "maintenance" is that my doctor told me that one of the chemo's I will be taking is frequently used for maintenance for those with chronic lung cancer. I will be doing the four rounds, and hopefully then be off it again. The two chemos are Cisplatin and Navelbein (or Navy Bean as Ned put it). The two will be given and then 8 days later a shot of neulasta to counteract the white blood cell attacks. As for the hair? I'm looking for this to be an opportunity for change! LOL. The last time, I was totally bald, and when it grew in it was light brown and very curly. I so loved that. But as it grew in, it turned back to dark brown, and straight, like it's always been with me. No matter what I'll be okay with it. Not thrilled, but okay. I have lots of phone calls today. The oxygen supplier is scamming the system I think. I wonder how many elderly and inactive folks check their tanks to be sure they are 100% full? The last two times, more tanks were less than 1/2 full than those that were full. Fortunately they seal them shut so I had proof to show them. They just meekly changed them out and said it wouldn't happen again. I'll just bet! So they get fired today and that is good. Anyway sendning wishes for a happy and good day for you all! I agree with KW Judy. I don't know why but I love hearing from the different folks around the world, and what their weather is like. I've always been a weather geek, and it interests me. I pray for the poor folks devastated by those horrible tornados. What a tragedy. Judy in MI

Hello friends, Judy the FM sounds disappointing! We are not content unless we walk away feeling like we got the deal of the century are we? I know I am not. I don't know if I mentioned this Judy? You said that NED tolerated Navelbine quite well. I was told by the oncologist that Navelbine is a good maintenance drug for chronic lung cancer. People seem to tolerate it well! I hope so for me too. We went grocery shopping today. I stocked up on all kinds of gooey good stuff. My weight keeps falling, and I'm at the lowest point, even with chemo the last time. I'd like to not start this chemo lighter than I should be. So I got mni candy bars to freeeze, sherbert, yummy breakfast bars, and more good stuff like that. I have protein shakes that I'll start again if I don't begin to gain a bit of weight too. The last time I had chemo, when my hair started falling out in clumps, I shaved my head bald. They told me my hair is going to fall out again. I think I'm going to have a girlfriend cut/shave it short all over so it does not have a chance to fall out in clumps. I'll just keep it at an inch or two as long as I can! Anyway, I'm sleepy at 4:00 so I think a nap is in order! Have a good Sunday evening friends. Judy in MI

Hello again, Met with the Onc. nurse yesterday to get the treatment plan. It is Cisplatin along with Navelbine. One day one it'd be about 5 hours with the usual pre-drugs and Cisplatin. Day 8 would be about 2 hours with the pre-drugs and Navelbine. Day 9 would be a Neulasta shot. I haven't had time to look into these treatments, but from what they explained it sounds very similar to the regime I was on with Carboplatin and Taxol as far as side effects go. I would have four cycles of this treatment. The nurse made a comment about having a positive attitude about this all. While I love PMA, and try to live with it, I didn't have that the last go round with this chemo. It completely shocked me when I felt as bad as I did. I just didn't expect the bone and muscle pain, the metal taste, the complete fatigue, and the last complaint I remembered was tummy issues with gas and discomfort. I'm glad I kept my journal from back then so I can tell them about this now to maybe have medications at the ready for this. She was right about the attitude though. I don't remember feeling like I had much choice? I think it hit me like a MACK truck and I just reacted to it all? But we'll see, just going to have to see what I can do about that mental attitude. I did go to Gilda's last night. It was AWESOME seeing my old friends there. I managed to drive there, and then left my car, and R drove me home. I have a girlfriend that is going to bring me back to town today to pick my car up. It worked out nicely. So, have a good Friday! The sun is shining here again and it's warm! Whooooo hooooo!!!!! MI Judy