Joppette
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Good morning! I google mapped Crowley, because I'm incessantly curious about where people live. Looks like a nice small town, but not far from the Big City of Fort Worth and Dallas. That's nice.
The town I actually live in is Grattan, Mich. But it does not even have a post office, so I get my mail from the next small town to the East, which is Belding. Downtown Grattan is a one road town, with one flashing light. There is the Grattan Store, the Grattan Bar, and not much else. Oh wait! There's the fire station (volunteer) at the other end of the town!
A creek runs through the town, and there's this tiny little bridge that goes over the creek. In Michigan, tradition dictates that on Memorial Day, our governor along with about 15000 other people walk from the lower peninsula to the upper peninsula across one of the largest bridges in the world, the Mackinac bridge. It's a big deal every year.
In Grattan, they do a bridge walk too! It's hilarious. They have a parade (tiny), and then walk from the graveyard on one end of the town, over the tiny bridge, and then to the community center. Then outside are booths, selling food, and other such festival stuff. It's a big deal for the locals. I find it charming and endearing.
I grew up in Grand Rapids, which is the 2nd biggest City in Michigan, with Detroit being #1. Grand Rapids is now about a million people, and has definitely changed over the years. Having said that, it's not a big city at all, but when you talk the locals here, they think it is a really big deal to drive 1/2 hour to the City to shop, or dine. LOL!
That's my tidbit for today.
Still quite sick, but much better than where I was two days ago! This has been quite the lung experience! I am very thankful that I can see huge improvements. But I talked to a woman at work today, and she was very alarmed at how I sounded. I told her that on a scale of 1 to 10 I was at a 6 which was pretty good considering yesterday morning, I debated going into the ER. Thankful for sure.
Judy in MI
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I get that KW Judy. And why waste the time on people that don't know? Here's why I'm passionate about it: lung cancer does not get the funding needed to find a cure. Why? The perception that people that get it brought it on themselves. Even though skin cancer, cervical cancer, cancers of the stomach, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer and others can be brought on by poor choices in life, they are not questioned, and the people that get it are thought of as victims. To me this is horribly wrong.
Second reason: Doctor's do not support pre-screening for lung cancer. You can get tests galore for all cancer types except for lung cancer. I asked my doctor for a CT scan and he told me I had lost my mind. I had no symptoms, therefore I had no lung cancer. When I explained that five people in my family died from the disease, he still balked at the test. I was forced to do the obligatory X-ray, and when it came back negative, I had to lie to get the CT scan. I told him if that came back negative, I'd pay for the test myself, but I insisted on the test. Three of the five people in my family that got this disease quit smoking 20 years before their diagnosis.
Lastly, the pulmonary specialist that I was referred to. I went in, scared and frightened. I'd already been told by Mayo Clinic that it was definitely lung cancer, and I needed to have my upper lobe removed. Pretty traumatic right? This idiot looked at my CT scan, while I was present, and then asked me why I ever smoked. He asked what was wrong with me! I looked him in the eye and said "because I was an addict!" and then told him he was fired! I was furious.
So many people in my family died of various types of cancer. The only one that had shame attached to it was lung cancer. Not everyone that smokes gets this. Some of us just have genes that make us vulnerable to it. Not everyone that gets pancreatic cancer drank. Not everyone that got skin cancer, recklessly spent hours in the sun without protection. Not every woman that gets cervical cancer was of loose morals. I could go on and on.
We could turn the tables around and say that not everyone that gets lung cancer smoked. Not everyone that gets pancreatic cancer drank recklessly. Not everyone that went out in the sun gets skin cancer. Every case of cervical cancer is NOT because the woman slept around.
I am an advocate for taking this stigma and making it go away. It is unacceptable, and none of us should feel shame that we got this disease.
Ok, getting off my soap box. Time for me to get some more sleep as it's 3:43 AM here. I hope I have not offended non-smokers that have this disease. If I have, I am sorry.
But I reiterate, no one deserves cancer of any type. Period.
Judy in MI
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So I heard from an old friend today. The last time I saw her was at an Octoberfest outdoor festival near my home. She did not know I had cancer, and when she saw me with this festive hat on, obviously without hair, eyebrows or eyelashes, her eyes got wide. She didn't want to say anything, which kind of bugs me. I'm very open with people, and don't mince words....much!
So I told her I had cancer, and she wished me well, and off she went. Today I'm on FB trying to quell the boredom of being forced to be home due to feeling so sick. She pops up in IM, and says Hi. She said she had a friend that was just dx with cancer, and her friend was very frightened. She knows that I'm very involved with Gilda's Club.
So she wanted to know if I could recommend resources for her friend. So I asked, "what kind of cancer?". The responses I got was this "She has lung cancer. Poor thing, didn't deserve it. She never smoked."
Over the years, I have learned to not react with instant and absolute anger, but my insides did react with a roil, and adrenaline did surge through my veins. I know, I understand that people do not understand, but it still makes my hair stand on end.
My response was "well, I don't know if you know that my cancer was lung cancer, and even though I did smoke, I didn't deserve it either." I quickly went on to offer resources like Gilda's Club, and this site, so I didn't feel like I was giving her a virtual smack across the face!
So while I made my dinner, I was muttering out loud, with my dog watching, cocking his head back and forth as he listened to my quiet rant (and it was quiet, unlike when I was first diagnosed). I'm like, you know? People get Pancreatic cancer, but do we ask them if they drank? People get skin cancer, but do we ask them about SPF30, and the time they spent in the sun? Women get cervical cancer, but do we ask them what their past sexual encounters were? People get lots of other cancers that are environmentally caused, or as a result of choices they made in life; what they ate, drank, smoked, and many other choices, but we don't ask them about it. Why? Because the stigma that is unique to lung cancer is not there for other cancers.
Society thinks it's okay to label lung cancer patients that smoked as people that deserve it, and always point out when someone has been diagnosed that never smoked, and how awful it is. What a terrible sentence that has been imposed.
I know you all know here, many of us smoked, many of us never did. But we get this cancer thing! None of us, no matter what type of cancer it is, deserve this diagnosis.
I make it a point now to say to folks that ask "I had lung cancer". It is not something to be ashamed of. I need to arm myself with more facts about this disease, so when I get this inevitable question, I can educate the person asking, rather than walking away fuming.
Yes, that is what I will do.
Judy in MI
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Hi Andrea,
What a wonderful story about your Mom. That's why I'm here, to hear stories of hope! It helps so much. I'm a survivor, but also my Mom had lung cancer. Can't believe she's been gone 14 years now!
But she was dx Stage IV and given 3 weeks to live. She got so ticked off, that I think she lived another 9 months just to spite the doctor's. I'm very grateful for those 9 months as we had some really special times together.
I'm so sorry about your Dad. It's tough. My story is so full of cancer, but my Dad died of brain cancer, my sister too. So we share similar stuff. I wish the best for your father, and the rest of your family.
Judy in MI
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Another thought, my brother volunteers for the hospital, and he goes to people's homes and provides respite. The caregiver can go and get some things done, or take a lunch, or whatever. The Respite person will read, or do light housekeeping, make a snack, and general just look after the individual. It's rewarding work for the volunteer, and gives the caregivers a much needed break.
Hang in there, we'll be here for you no matter what.
Judy in MI
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Ah it does not matter. Folks can find it in the View new posts. I had to go do research on Chiari, I was not even aware of this condition. Sounds like it can be debilitating and painful. I hope you are well.
Judy in MI
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Oh stupidity! Wrote this post and *poof* it disappeared. Darn it. It's 3:18AM. Still feeling poorly. Cough is horrendous. But can tell I am improving. Scary that I need Ibuteral several times a day right now, but the Doc said it's okay to use it this way. Does help with the cough.
So..........where was I? Seems that in the middle of the night my fingers can't traverse the keyboard as well as during the day. My two cats are sitting at my feet wondering why I'm up at this hour!
Hubs is out of town for the week, so I'm on my own. Not much fun with this racking cough, pounding head and more. Have read 3 books in 4 days now. *sigh* Looking forward to getting better that is for sure.
Have an "interview" today for a woman that wants to help with Admin at church. Sure could use the help. Will find out what her commitment level is. So many want to help on a "as needed" basis. Can't utilize them because the "as needed" is a need for consistent folks that can be depended on for a regular basis.
So...we shall see! I hope she is one that can make a commitment and stick to it. I'm blessed to be able to volunteer as much as I do, but I'm getting burned out. I need to take a break from it all. I'd love to tell everyone, two weeks off!!!! Need to clean out closets, drawers, etc., and just don't get to it.
Next week I see the next specialist for my spasms. So looking forward to another "I have no idea what is wrong with you" deal. *sigh* again.
K, I can tell I need to go back to sleep. I can't type, and don't seem to have much to say!
Have a brilliant day! Supposed to rain today (again), and warm up. That would be nice.
Judy in MI
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Thank you! Nope, the disease can rob us of certain things. At times those things seem insurmountable, but it can't take my soul. That's for sure.
Judy in MI
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All I can say is I took notes, notes, notes and became a staunch advocate for my Mom. It was tough, but needed to be done. Her doctors didn't cherish seeing me standing outside her hospital door waiting for them with writing pad in hand. LOL! It helped give her quality of life. I'm glad I could do it.
Judy in MI
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Hi there,
Ah, been on both sides. Lost Mom to lung cancer, and then I got it. It's tougher (in my opinion) to be a caregiver. As a caregiver, we don't understand what our loved one is going through. And as we see a cringe of pain, or other reactions, our minds blow it up much bigger than it may be.
I understand your emotions about thinking about folks that lose a loved one in an accident with no chance to say goodbye. You get to love on him every day that he is here. Have you looked into Hospice care? He is only 63 so may not be eligible for Medicaid. My Mom was not, she was 62. But his own insurance may kick in whatever Hospice needs to take care of him. They can make sure his pain is under control, take care of the cost of the medications, and also provide you with the support you need as you go through this.
My heart goes out to you. It's such a tough thing to deal with. Try to help him be comfortable painwise, get some help with Hospice, and give him all the love you can. It will help both you and him. God bless.
Judy in MI
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Debbie, it is remarkable to have a tumor of this size not causing more problems. Count those blessings! I will tell you I was pretty nonchallant about my diagnosis. My family had so many people that got this disease, that it was pretty much not if but when.
But I did get serious once I found out I had it. I made sure I had multiple opinions, even flying myself to Mayo on my own dime. And then we had the surgery, chemo, and stuff. Your life will change now, but if you have a good attitude, you can come out a winner.
I wish you the best.
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Bud! Glad you fell in that water and not on cement! Wow, that could have been nasty. First thing I thought of was you hitting the pavement where your shingles are. Ouch! You don't need that. I admire you for your biking. I get winded so easily, I don't think I could do that. Was curious if you had breathing issues when you first started and if your hard work helped the breathing improve?
Judy in MI
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had to add....simmered in an animals stomach? Really?????
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Hope your walk went well, and you saw lots of bunnies, Judy. We have tons of them here! They don't have much as far as a natural predator here so they flourish.
I agree about Eric's stories. I love reading them. And I too am confused by the Haggis. So I looked it up and here is what I found:
Haggis is a dish containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally simmered in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours. Most modern commercial haggis is prepared in a casing rather than an actual stomach. There are also meat-free recipes for vegetarians.
Haggis is a kind of sausage, or savory pudding cooked in a casing of sheep's intestine, as sausages are. As the 2001 English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique puts it, "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savory flavor".[1]
The haggis is a traditional Scottish dish memorialized as the national dish of Scotland by Robert Burns' poem Address to a Haggis in 1787. Haggis is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (Scots: swede, yellow turnip or rutabaga and potatoes, boiled and mashed separately) and a "dram" (i.e. a glass of Scotch whiskey), especially as the main course of a Burns supper. However it is also often eaten with other accompaniments, or served with a whiskey-based sauce.
So this explains it! Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I despise rutabaga. Despise it! LOL! Maybe I'd like yellow turnip, don't know, never had it. But these Scottish terms like haggis, neeps and tatties (here in the USA tatties have a whole other meaning LOL) are so interesting. I love learning different cultures.
Judy in MI
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K, I'll start off. It's 4:54AM and a sore throat woke me up. Am thankful for the meds. The nasal spray is amazing in the relief it's given me! The cough med is helping. And the doc said I could use my Albuterol for cough relief, and that is helping too. But feeling very poorly, no matter what. Am going to head back to bed soon. I will go into volunteer work for a bit today, got some stuff that must be done.
25 years ago, a F5 tornado ripped through town. Killed a few folks. It was before we had the siren system warning us of the bad storms. Now they have radar down to the street level, so you know if the bad storm is near or far. Pretty cool technology.
Kitty cat is having a blast with bugs on the window outside. She is doing her best to destroy them but unfortunately just wreaking havoc on my screen. Need to go back to bed, turn the lights out, so the screens stay intact.
Weather supposed to get to 70 today! Hurray! Even though I may only experience it through my screens and open windows, it's still a wonderful thing.
Have a blessed day.
Judy in MI
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Hi Tessa,
I'm so sorry this is stressful for you. It is frightening to watch someone we love have to endure such things. I was a care giver, before I was a survivor. My personal opinion is that being the care giver is harder. When I had cancer and chemo, I knew how I was feeling, and all my husband had was his imagination, because what he saw scared him, even though I tried to comfort him.
This journey is not a fun one. I pray for comfort for both of you.
Judy in MI
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Good for you! I am almost back to the weight I want to be at. Put on about 35 pounds after chemo. Food tasted so bad during treatment, and when it finally tasted good again, oh boy! I had to change my relationship to food to succeed. I think that I "rewarded" myself with desserts, and chocolate when I never ate that stuff before. But I'm back at it and it feels good to have that extra weight gone.
Best wishes in this.
Judy in MI
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Hello,
Nope not typing at the same time Judy. LOL! Probably at the time you were typing this I was still asleep. But I didn't sleep late, had contractors over today to adjust the sprinklers for Spring, and another to bring in 10 bags of salt for the water softener and change and replace the water filters. So was a busy morning.
Did not go to volunteer work today. Been feeling poorly, so went to the doctor. Sinusitis is how he dx it. Walked out with scripts for cough syrup with codeine, nasal spray, and antibiotics. Should be feeling better soon!
Well, I looked for an interesting fact about my City from 50 years ago today and found that the birth control pill was first introduced back then, much to the shock of the religious community around here. It was quite the big news from what I can tell. Back then the families were so large. Women like my Mom surely must have been happy, as she had my brother in 1953, me 1954, Dan 1955, a baby that died 1957, my sister 1958, and then my OOPS brother (who is far from an OOPS) in 1963. Sheesh!
It's another cold, cloudy day here. I think we got our Spring in March when it was unseasonably warm and pleasant. March and May got themselves mixed up. I'm sure it will be nice soon.
Was having a problem with wild geese in my lower yard. We have a corn feeder down there to attract the deer, pheasants and other wood creatures into the yard. But two geese families decided this was a fine place to raise their babies. One family had 3 babies, and the other 4 babies. Well, I was on the couch reading a book, window cracked, and heard the geese just making the biggest ruckus! They were flying all over, sqwauking, honking and sounding very ornery. I popped off the couch to see my hunting dog, just chasing them all over the place, and the Mom and Dad are rushing around their babies getting them to the bushes. I was thankful none of the babies got killed, but they have not been back and for that I am grateful. They are noisy, and very dirty. They like to take over the dock, and it makes for a cleaning job every time you want to take the boat out to fish.
Okay I'm quite the talker AGAIN. Think it's the codeine in the cough medicine.
Judy in MI
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SCLC
in SCLC GROUP
Hi Chris,
Welcome here. The reason stinks, but we're glad you are here. Katie B has a picture on her page that says "Cancer is a word, not a sentence." I love that.
Do not give up hope. Get other opinions, Doctor's are not God. There are people here that have survived. Read other journals in the SCLC board.
Take care,
Judy in MI
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Judy,
You and I are obviously getting caught up together! LOL! The last post I submitted yours popped up and I thought mine was lost! LOL!
Judy in MI
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Hi Carole,
I just found you and your story. In June 2007 I was dx with stage 2 NSCLC contained in my left upper lobe. They immediately did the lobectomy, which resulted in me staying in the hospital for 3 weeks due to complications. But I got through it just fine. Following that I began six months of chemo, but no radiation as there was no lymph node involvement. They wanted chemo though as the tumor came very close to invading the chest wall. They upgraded my stage to what they called it here a Stage 2 3/4. I guess that's close to stage 3. But whatever.
Got through the chemo okay. Did have lots of muscle pain and neuropathy. The chemo of choice was carbo/taxol. It made my taste buds change and everything tasted like metal for a while, so eating was a struggle.
Six months later my eye sight changed, and I rushed to the Onc worried that it was a brain met. Turned out I had fast developing cataracts caused by the steroids they administered during the chemo. It was weird, they looked into my eyes, and told me "you had chemo didn't you?" I was surprised, didn't know cats were a result of heavy steroid use. But they operated and my eye sees much better than my other eye. The other eye has cats too, but they are not ready to be operated on yet.
Okay long story short, it's been 3 years this June and so far NED!
I am grateful and thankful and try to feel that way every single day.
Wishing you the best.
Judy in MI
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Hello,
Randy, good on saving the money, I love having the windows open, the heat off! Have not had to use the AC yet, not here in good old Michigan. It does get very humid here when storms come in off the Big Lake Michigan. Then we'll have to use the A/C. Doesn't it feel good to get cleaning projects done?
Dawn, hope you can find a helper with those fan blades. We don't need you falling off a stool! No wobbling or weebling please!
It's beautiful here, mid 60's, enough sun to warm the inside and open a couple of windows. The fresh air and the birds singing are wonderful. But I'm home bound the last two days. Started with a upset tummy (nausea) and tight chest yesterday. Now I have full congestion in the lungs, and runny nose and headache. so it's been the couch, a good book, and lots of rest. Hitting the vitamins hard, and hoping to nip this in the bud quickly.
Hope the rest of your weekend is awesome!
Judy in MI
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Jill,
What a beautiful wedding. I just read your Mom's story for the first time too, and I'm so sorry she had to go through this at such a young age. She was a beautiful woman. It's tough isn't it? I was 40 when my Mom died. I still miss her lots, but know she is no longer in pain, and is in a better place.
Thanks for sharing your happy family!
Judy in MI
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Hi all, it's 11:18AM here. Not whining, but had a long night last night. Muscles were naughty and really caused some trouble. Tried Quinine, as my Physical Muscle doctor suggested. Didn't do a darned thing. Oh well, it's not worth b-tchin' about, does not accomplish anything.
Eric, I too enjoy learning about everyone's worlds. Yours intrigues me, and how naughty to tease the tourists! Can't wait to get over there and explore your world. I do believe the Washington Heidi is in is the State of Washington on the North West part of the USA. It is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and I'm betting she lives near Seattle. Or some other City near the coast.
I went on a vacation to Whistler, British Columbia, and we flew in and out of Seattle, stayed there, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and up the mountain to Whistler (where the Winter Olympics were held). Lovely country, lovely people, and Seattle is enchanting.
Well, it's still cold here, low 60's, overcast, and windy. Spring is taking her sweet time getting here, but it is beautiful no matter what. I don't mind throwing a sweatshirt on for the day.
Going to lay low. Seem to have caught a bug. Coughed a lot yesterday to the point that Hubs asked "what's up with the coughing?". Coughing is not something we like in our home. I didn't feel sick so I said I didn't know. Then I woke up with morning, which aches, and chills, and gunk in the chest and head, so I'm coming down with something. I hit the vitamins big time, and will drink OJ and lots of water and try to kick this thing to the curb.
Have a good weekend.
Judy in MI
The Stigma
in LC SURVIVORS
Posted
Thanks Annette! You made me smile. I'm off the soap box for now! Venting was good. I won't vent again until I get someone talking to me like this again. LOL! I do tend to be a passionate person, sometimes not for good results.