Joy535

❤️ Happy Valentine's Day Joyce! I hope today has been a good day for you. Lifting you up in my prayers.
Take good care my friend.
Hugs, Nancy

Hello from Seattle WA. 77 YO female great-grandma diagnosed a little over 8 months ago. Have had Cisplatin/Gemcidabine series of chemo and after a month's break to rebuilding white cells, another 5 weeks of 5-FU chemo simultaneously with radiation treatments. Interested in where you went for treatment.
Coincidentially I was born in Kalispell, St. Joseph's hospital but only lived there till I was 4.

How are you doing Joyce? I have had trouble getting on this site for several weeks. I have one more chemo treatment to go now. My oncologist cancelled the last cycle because he was concerned that I might be at risk for blood clots, kidney damage and hearing loss. I am thinking of you, and praying. Nancy.

Hey Friend, I keep checking back, hoping to see an update from you. It's been 3 months now. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Hope you can give us an update soon Joyce. Hugs, Nancy

Hey Joyce, Wow, I just read about your allergic reaction and heart symptoms. I am sorry you had to go through so much. I am sure it was comforting to have your daughter with you. Hope you are feeling better now. Gemzar always made me sick, weak and exhausted. I will be praying for you my friend. Take good care.
(((((hugs))))) Nancy

Hello Joyce,

How are you feeling my friend? I hope your chemo is going better this time with less side effects.

I started my chemo last week. The Cisplatin hit me hard with so many side effects. I felt sick all week. This week I had just Gemzar, and it doesn't cause me to feel so sick. I do have a sore mouth, and I am tired. Next week I do not have chemo, and I will see my oncologist. I think so far I am doing okay. I am grateful for the break from chemo next week.

I am staying away from crowds of people to avoid getting sick. We have a lot of flu and Noro virus in our area.

I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
Nancy

Hello Joyce, Thank you so much for all the good information and advice. I have reread it several times. I appreciate your support ! I waited to answer you because I had another visit with my oncologist this week. I am scheduled to get my port next Wednesday. Not sure if it is a Smart Port. My first Chemo treatment is Tuesday, January 22. The day before the treatment I have an appointment with the nurse practitioner for counseling about chemo. The doctor told me she will tell me what to expect, what to bring. He said it is interesting and useful information.

I have Humana insurance, and so far they have been excellent. With two surgeries and three hospitalizations, four serious infections and many special procedures, it has been great insurance. We will see how my insurance does with the chemo..

I saw my Rheumatologist today. I have severe Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. He told me my Arthritis will get better with chemo. I have to take 5 mg of Prednisone daily. My concern is how much mobility will I lose with chemo. I have chair exercise DVD's and also Yoga that I can do. I hope I don't get so weak and exhausted I can't do some exercise. After the surgeries and infections I was wiped out and could only take a few steps for a while. It took quite a while to get stronger after each surgery.

I have been cooking meals and putting them in the freezer. I am trying to get as much done as possible around the house. My husband and children have all been so good to help me with anything. I feel so blessed, as I am sure you are with your family.

How are you feeling Joyce. How are your chemo treatments going so far?

Thank you again for your letter, it was very helpful. Anything else you want to share will be appreciated. If you are feeling too exhausted to write I will totally understand.

Take good care. I am praying for you my friend. God is so good!

~hugs~
Nancy

Hi Joy, See my note below. I always seem to put things in the wrong place on here. Nancy

Hey Joy, How are you doing now? I hope everything is going well my friend. ~hugs~ Nancy
PS: Yes, I was a nurse for many years.

Hey Joy,

Sorry I haven't checked in much since my surgery. Good to hear from you! My last surgery was to remove a sample of my liver, and remove all the lymph nodes in that area. It took 5 hours. No cancer was found! Everything went well, until I developed a wound infection and ended up back in the hospital for four days. My incision opened up halfway, and I had to have a drainage tube inserted. I now have home health nurses coming several times a week to check on me, and change and repack the wound. It has been a slow, painful process, the wound is finally starting to heal. I see my surgeon next Tuesday, hoping I can get the tube removed.

I had my gallbladder removed the end of August, and the Pathologist found one tumor attached to the inside wall of the gallbladder. It was a surprise for me and for the surgeon. My doctor has not mentioned chemo or radiation yet. Because it is such an aggressive cancer, I expect I will need chemo and maybe radiation. I want to do everything necessary to rid my body of any microscopic cancer cells. Did you have many side effects with chemo?

This is my third experience with infection since August. It has left me weak and not feeling well. I don't have my usual appetite, and have lost 20# in the last month. I need to lose weight, so that is probably a good thing. I am eating a healthy diet. My husband has been so good about taking care of me.

The storm "Sandy" was not too bad in our area. My thoughts and prayers are with the families still affected by the devastating damage left behind.

I will be praying for you, and your upcoming surgery. It is great you are feeling so good now and able to enjoy life.

One Day At A Time.
Nancy

Hello; I'm so sorry for your trials and so envious of your surroundings. So much of Montana is so exquisite. I spent some time out there as a young woman.

I had a girlfriend who had inoperable liver cancer. She was an MD. I met her at a living foods gathering. We did not know each other but I just went up to her and began to tell her my story and then she thanked me and told me hers. She bought herself a high speed blender and took instruction and ate "oddly" for two months. She went back for tests only to be told that her tumor had shrunk quite a bit. Her energy came back. She bagan to incorporate 'regular' food back into her diet. She spent the next four years, having opened a clinic, helping others and going camping with her son and skiing with her friends. Being an MD, she continued to look for chemotherapies to help herself. The tumor was no longer growing but it was also no longer shrinking.

She went for a biopsy on the tumor which did not turn out so well because the encapsulated tumor was nicked and the cancer spread quickly throughout her body and she was gone within a few months.

I tell you this story because her four years were time her doctors told her she could not ever have. When a doctor tells you there is no hope it only means he or she is out of ideas. There always may be someone else with better ideas.

If you have time and inclination, please research (use a search engine) a place (in San Diego & Texas) called "Optimum Wellness". There is another place called "Hippocrates Health Institute" in So Fla (near me) but it is pricier. You could also look up a type of mushroom called "Chaga". There are other possibilities as well.

For all anyone knows, you could have a slow dance at your 5 year old grandkid's wedding.

:-) It sounds like you've done and had miracles in your life. Perhaps one more is also yours to enjoy. Blessings.

Dear Joy:
I have a home in Bigfork MT and spend as much time as I can there. I can't answer your question but just wanted to reach out to you. Living in God's country makes me appreciate life.
Fight on,
Attypatty

Good luck with your scan results on the 31st, and then you see where you go from there.

Glad your feeling good, it is nice to start to remember how things used to be. Enjoy the new smell of the world and the new view your sure to have of it!

Greg P

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Thanks for posting.
Greg P

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Greg P
3X survivor
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