Addie
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A Happy Day
in HOPE
Brian was whistling this morning as he finished his shower.It made me feel very very happy.
I can't believe this, Brat! It wasn't this morning early...because I don't move that fast in the morning...but sometime around 11:30 as I was about to get in the shower
I too, found myself whistling!!!!!!!Not to get too graphic...but I was...um....er...ahem....on the throne. I told hubby about it later, because when I caught myself whistling, I said aloud to myself, "Sheesh, I'm sitting here on the "terlet" (thank you, Archie Bunker for that one
) whistling and I've got BRAIN TUMORS!" like the whole thing seemed so incongruous! Well, heck, it IS sorta incongruous...but then again, I guess it shows some spirit, doesn't it?
My hubby smiled too, when I told him. I think it made him happy even though I can't really whistle very well.
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Suki's home
in HOPE
Welcome home, Suki and Amie...do you think you can knock that smile off your face for just a moment?
Sounds like Suki's made a lot of friends in that hospital...but I'd rather know she's home and well...and she can invite the nurses to visit here THERE, eh?
So glad to read this news. Jeez...there has been some very good news around here lately, after all. Oh sure, some cruddy news too...but to balance it out, some very good news indeed. Glad Suki counts among the Good Newsers.
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See, hon?? All that wasted worry energy spent on nothing. Nada. You are still with NED! And I couldn't be happier for you.
Now....as for me...I think I sat on my own pork chop
as you know by now...or I'd happily pass it over to you to hold. No way are you getting my caramel filled Kisses though! Good news around here is good for all of us, you know...so I'm gonna ride YOUR high right into my new treatment.
I just hope when my hair falls out again, that you'll all still think of me as having Farrah's locks...okay. Not that I ever did..but I can dream, can't I?
Such wonderful news, Joanie. Did the dog get extra cookies for this too?
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I may have to insist on a new rule that ALL GOOD NEWS must be cross-posted in the General forum. I don't seem to find the time to check through all the forums anymore and then I miss great news like this!
Sheesh
Talk about Addie-Come-Lately! So sorry to miss out on the early congrats and celebration, but this is fabu news as my friend, Frankie, would say...just fabu! (She teaches...so she comes up with some doozies from the kids sometimes!
)I'm on my way, even as I type, to the pub. Gotta be a virgin Transfusion or Margarita these days...but hey, I can get down and goofy without the booze. Trust me.
A little Decadron...and I'm the life of the party/ Stay met free, girl. Once you get those air purses working like they're 'sposed to....you'll be like brand new.
Okay, pre-owned?
Slightly used?
A bargain at any price!
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Joanie, darlin'....most of the time, saying this to me would be preaching to the choir. But as you know I had some rather ugly news to digest lately and have since been battling the Evils of Decadron
...so your words are like a soothing balm AND a call to arms, as well. Thank you!To Survivors and Caretakers and the Doctors who keep coming up with battle plans for us...and hey, what about the onc nurses who tend our sore veins and battered souls, some days? Even the hospital volunteers who come around, ever cheerful, and offer us a snack or a ginger ale?
Miracles DO happen, you're right. I wish we all could grab onto a miracle and hold it....till WE were ready to let go...not just till our health fails us.
Thanks for the reminder to live with gusto...cherish our family, caretakers and friendships and appreciate the l.c. family that most days, is our best link to information and support.
HERE'S TO SURVIVORSHIP!!! GRAB A LIFE JACKET AND CLIMB ON BOARD!
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Jeez, Louise.....I've missed all kinds of stuff this week. T...I'm so sorry about the infection and sorrier still that you had to eat hospital food for 5 days.
Welcome home...and know that even if I don't know what's going on
my best thoughts are always with you anyway. Still...it's weird I didn't have a telepathic "green jello" alert on your behalf. Have you had enough of THAT STUFF to last forever? Be well...STAY well.
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So caught up have I been, in my own spread, that I haven't checked this forum for days. Don and Lucie, I am so sorry to hear about this setback.
I know you'll both face this with your usual aplomb...but I'm just so sorry that you have to.My apologies for not being here sooner with my good wishes...but hope that things are underway and that Lucie is showing her tough and true colors in this new battle, as well as she always does.
My thoughts are with you....
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the only words she said were ice chips and hello and go home when she decided we shoud leave for the night
When I read the above, all I could think was...."once a mom, always a mom". She's more worried about you and your dad, than herself!
Glad to know she's now out of ICU and moving around a bit. Her recovery is best taken in those baby steps. She's been through a lot...so she can be a turtle, not a rabbit in getting thru this recovery.
Best wishes to her...and I hope she can avoid the ventilator again.
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I guess this is the pattern....awake one night...so exhausted the next that you sleep...and then up again the night after that.
I've been doing some surfing on side effects, one of which is "sleep disturbance".
I gotta tell ya, my sleep is MORE than disturbed, it's p*$$ed off beyond all recognition!
I awoke at 1:30 again and am right now enjoying a cup of green tea ('enjoying' being a relative term). Oh, I ate a banana too. I'm trying like crazy to avoid the bag of caramel filled Hershey's Kisses as somewhere I read that one's sweet tooth can be impacted with Decadron. The really bad part of that is that the rad onc told me the radiation could result in diabetes insipidus.
OH, that's something else I want to look up on the net!
(Edited to add: Learned something....diabetes insipidus has nothing to do with sugar. Who knew? It's related to the pituitary, which I knew, but again...has nothing to do w/ sugar levels. It's glandular and radiating the brain again may damage my pituitary gland which in turn, can affect ALL glandular functions, which the rad onc told me. Hold a good thought for my thyroid then, will you...I'm going after that bag of Hershey's Kisses!
)When I start counting moles and freckles I think I'll throw myself down the stairs.
I'm really not losing it again as I did the other night...I'm just a bit rummy after this rollercoaster of sleep/sleep deprivation. Hope you all are snoozing peacefully, having sweet dreams and that you waken refreshed, renewed and ready to face your day.
Just as you're gearing up....I may be crashing, finally, to grab some needed zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's
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Hey Jim...you're OLDER than you were two years ago. Everything hits harder and the ol' strength never IS what it used to be, eh?
Seriously, I'm sorry the chemo is a little rougher this time..but you'll adjust, I know you will. You've got lots of serious fishing yet to do...so no chemo is gonna hold you down for long! And that grandson of yours is waiting...remember?
Good to hear your "voice" and hang in there...
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Hey Fay...just remember...in the hospital, whether things go right or wrong, you still can have all the green jello you want, any time you want!!
Hope they spring you out of ICU soon. If they don't I betcha Debi and Ry have chickens all boxed up and ready to put in the mail.
Call it incentive.
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I'm so glad for you that there's a plan in place. It IS all a bit easier to cope with when we feel we are moving forward...on the attack, isn't it?
As for your daughter and how much to tell her...when I found out about the brain tumors on Friday morning...my 31 y/o son was in a week-long intensive class. 8-5: daily for a week, including that Friday and the next day, Saturday. And then on Monday he had an interview with a Police Commission. He's a cop...looking to change departments.
I didn't want to mess up his head, so chose to wait to tell him of my brain mets until Tuesday. He wasn't real happy with me.
I explained. He said, "But you're my MOTHER!" I do think he understands and has forgiven me...as I made a judgment call thinking mainly of him. He's pretty sensitive about all of this...the state of my health. But given the same set of circumstances...I think I might still do the same as I did.
When I did tell him, though, I told him all of it. The fact that I still feel good and am approaching this as I have every obstacle in this journey so far...also helped him accept it, I think.
HE, however, is here....in town. I don't know how far away your daughter's school is....but it may make a difference if she cannot SEE you both any time soon....do you think?
HOW you convey the information makes a difference too. You sound upbeat in that there IS a good plan ahead to deal with everything. So if you convey that optimism in the plan to your daughter...then perhaps it won't overload her "worry signal".
Put a smile in your voice and tell her how proud you and Daddy are of her...and that you want her to focus on school and herself and you will keep her posted! Direct the conversation back to her as soon as you can after you tell her what you want her to know at this point, eh?
You'll know what to say as you talk to her...I know you will. I worried too, about telling my son...but it all worked out and.............the next day he asked me to go with him ring shopping for his girl!
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Have you assured Beth that there are lots of us here willing to hold her pork chop, Cindi? We are, you know. Willing and ready.
Wish there was some way to help her with the depression..as I KNOW she'd much rather just revel in her delicious sense of humor, as usual. But it's tough sometimes.
We all know that.Thanks, Cin, for continuing to pass along our love, concern and the occasional cartoon to her. I hope she'll be back with us soon. I miss her. I especially missed her when I was on my Decadron Speed Trial...cuz that girl could have kept up with me even IF I didn't share my Decadron with her!
BETHIE...WE MISS YOU!!
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To borrow from Sandra Boynton:
Hippo, Birdie, Two Ewes...
Hippo, Birdie, Two Ewes...
Hippo, Birdie, Dear Debi...
Hippo, Birdie, Two Ewes...
Now...all you gotta do is picture the hippo, the birdie and a coupla sheep on paper and you gots yourself a birthday card!
Debi...have a wonderful day full of smiles. You give out so many, you deserve to have them all replenished in one, swell and fabulous natal celebration!
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No, I'm not going to break into song.
I have too much regard for all of you to subject you to my singing...especially after my rambling post about Decadron, night before last. But speaking of the Evil Pharmaceutical...my reduction in dosage to 2 mgs. twice a day has pretty much restored me to normal sanity. That and a good night's sleep has brought me down from "warp speed" to "hummingbird level".
I'm even smiling and making nice with hubby again!
I still think I got up about three times during the night to visit the throne room (thanks to having to drink a full 8 ozs. of water at bedtime with the Dilantin)...but I managed to fall back to sleep each time.
Aaaaaahhhhhh. I DO feel fairly refreshed and much less like committing homicide. It's a nice feeling.
Again, my humble gratitude to all of you for seeing me through a short, but memorable, period of steroid induced mania...the likes of which I hope I never see again.
I am once again offering to hold pork chops for anyone who needs it...being able to offer you the assurance that I'm not just trying to reconstruct the pig!
Thanks for your forebearance....
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TAnn....you are too cute!
If I HAD eyelashes to stick to the mask, I'd rejoice. They pretty much went with the hair loss of 14-15 months ago! I had some PCI back in November so know what to expect....although they are telling me that THIS time with the brain radiation, the effects could be a bit more intense.
Last time I took my normal daily prednisone only...NO decadron needed...and other than increased fatigue some days...I did fine.
I've got Ambien, Ativan and a Tylenol product called Simply Sleep which is just diphenhydramine (benadryl) without any pain reliever. I TOOK a Simply Sleep the night before last but it's effects were totally overruled by the Decadron.
Anyway, am pretty well rested after last night, and am now on half the dosage of Decadron...which is much easier to tolerate (thank goodness, or my hubby would have been after me with a wood chipper!
) I think I'm gonna make it through alright...but there won't be any middle of the night cleaning binges...I can guarantee you that!
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Oh, Addie says this is MOST impressive.
I use a cart when I play golf Okay, sure...I walk a bit here and there....but it's not quite what you and Len are doing, Ellen! Hubby and I went out to walk night before last...just a short jaunt as he's got terrible osteo in both knees. He usually rides his bike a bit in the evening (or has been lately). But last night he had a meeting...and I was so high on steroids, he'd have had to run to keep up with my walk!
But you inspire me. I'm gonna keep trying to get out to walk. Our neighborhood is set up so that there is a cul de sac and connecting roads that provides a good 1/2 mile walk around the neighborhood....some of which is slightly ramped uphill...to give you a good workout at the very end of the walk!
Tell Len I'm real impressed. Will you continue your walks thru the winter months?
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Oh, Beth.
This has been Hell Week for me but not near as hellish as yours...and I'm ashamed that I'm just finding this post of yours.Worse...the test result.
I'm so sorry the news wasn't better.What more is there to say but that every good, loving thought I have is winging your's and Bill's way.
It's hard to find words to say how sad this makes me...
Maybe later I'll have more coherent thoughts...but my heart is with you.
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Well, dammitall anyway.
I guess you're right, Tina..that this has been a more awful than good month...but maybe by month's end, all will turn around for all of us who could use an upswing...and that includes your Charlie.All good wishes/thoughts are being sent his way even as I type this. Hang in there...and it seems to me that it's got to be a good sign that he can get out and walk like that...eh? Inner strength and otherwise in good shape. Gotta count for something, I think.
Please keep us posted...we'll all be thinking of you and Charlie.
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You see the reaction here, Missy Fay? Whole buncha people about to lay an egg, worrying about you...and you show up JUST in time to let us know where you are.
So..we're doubling up the wishes and Get Out of ICU Soon vibes and hope your next report is even better.
Rest well and heal, Fay. We miss you when you're not here.
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Sometimes, the best way to get thru Life is to laugh your way through. I hope not too many of you thought I'd gone off the deep end forever....but the sarcasm/silliness/mouthing off is part of how I cope.
It's just that, mixed with THE EVIL DECADRON PILLS...one cannot be sure of length!
The stuff DOES make me voluble...and other than housework (bah!) what the hell else was I gonna do in the middle of the night? Anyway, I had a not quite 2 hr. nappie and just took a "mere" 2 mgs of Decadron...my new twice daily dosage...and am feeling somewhat better.
I must dash off to watch Big Brother 6, which on a normal basis makes me feel ever so content with my life (by comparison), Decadron notwithstanding.
As for booze....it's not my liver that makes it a no-no right now...it's the Dilantin. At some point when my body is all adjusted, I will revisit the subject of alcohol with Cooper. But it won't be wine...it'll be VODKA!!
Thanks for bearing with me, y'all, thru a rough night and morning.
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Today...no question....it's my handmade Sh*t Fairy pin.
My friend Marci says, when things go rotten in your life, you've been hit by the Sh*t Fairy.
So I'm wearing the prototype pin for the other 14 Limited Addition (See what Decadron does to me? Limited ADDITION???
You all knew I meant Edition, didn't you? Sheesh!) Felt and-other-stuff pins I'm making for my cyberteam of wonderful women who support me unquestioningly throughout my cancer journey. I think y'all know I have a semi-warped sense of humor sometimes...and man, when I first heard about the Sh*t Fairy...I knew it was something I'd run with.
Hope this doesn't offend anyone, but if so I offer up as compensation that the other handmade pin I'm wearing simply says "hope".
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Okay...here's the deal. Decadron works better on brain swelling, etc. than prednisone. BUT...the rad onc cut me from 8 mgs. to 4 daily. Said to try that, but if I didn't get any relief to let him know...and I said, "Oh you can BET you'll hear from me!"
Hubby sat there and said if something weren't done, HE might kill me himself.
(I betcha in this state, I could take him if he tried, though! 
)Pred worked for me last time, having PCI, just fine. But this time I've got a head full of mets which all by itself could cause swelling...and probably is, because I am having a few scattered mild headaches. Vision is more blurred too.
I start rad on Monday. They did the simulation/mask today.
I just ate lunch and since, according to my Pharmacological Daily Schedule...I have no pills to take for a few hours....guess where I'm going?
No, not Disney World
.....TO BED. Alone. Not even a dog to snooze with me cuz she twitches in her squirrel-chasing dreams and wakes me up!Wish me a good afternoon's sleep, will ya?
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I'm going to enlist the aid of my rad onc today, to talk to Cooper about using prednisone instead...which I tolerate very well.
They will either agree to my need to get off this crap...or I will raise some major hullaballoo!
Not sleeping is taking time off my life. It's healing to sleep. I need sleep.
I don't need Decadron to remind me what I missed by ignoring Timothy Leary all those years.
I too, found myself whistling!!!!!!!
) whistling and I've got BRAIN TUMORS!" 
as you know by now...or I'd happily pass it over to you to hold. No way are you getting my caramel filled Kisses though! 
YEEEEEEE HAAWWWWW
in HOPE
Posted
More happy (if a tad belated) thoughts from here for Mom's good news! Keep that positive attitude...can't hurt, might help!
You must be greatly relieved, Missy...and I'll join you in the Pub...for a virgin something-or-other to celebrate this happy news!
You and mom keep up the good work!