A Crab in need please donate!!!

[Platzki]

Seriously - it's the carp flying all over the web that's got me so darn frazzled.... 

What carp are you referring to??

[2boysandtoys]

Well....of course we have the online drama - PSU....and the newbies!

And then - if you all remember, my boy got into a fight.  It seems like years ago, but really not.  Long story short, requested him be moved to a different class for a lotta reasons.  So....we got the teacher, counselor, 2 principals, me, my boy and prolly more involved in 'the fix'.   

Then - I'm starting my softball 'stuff' for 08 - so sent a message out to 120 people, and trying to get them to agree on single games vs. double headers, what night, what complex and - it's fun....

Last - my boy's baseball team is selecting tourneys and we're working on hotels, attendance, fees, etc. 

And....some yahoo company charged my credit card in January (for a 2nd time) for an item I purchased, paid for and received in November! 

This has been like a week of Mondays here.....and I'm not tracking it all very well....can ya tell?   

[Platzki]

When times get you down, you need to just hold up your chin high and pour alcohol into your mouth... it's easy!!

Here... watch...  This is me and you...      

 

[2boysandtoys]

    Chin Up, Bottle Back, Swallow....3 things - sequential order - I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.... 

[The Pet Guy]

The past couple of days have been aggravating. The radiation machine was down on Thursday and Friday. We did not know it was until we got to the hospital. That means that Martha will have to get these added on to the end of her ordeal. My concern is that it will be four days without the treatment. When she started, they told us that it was important not to miss any of the dates. I wonder if the four days off will allow the cancer to get start growing again. They say it would not but then they stressed the point about not missing any treatments. I just do not know???   

Martha has been very sick for the past three days. I guess going to the hospital at least got her up for an hour or so. I have been under a lot of stress this week. I am not getting a lot of sleep myself. It seems I am not tired, my dad says when you get older you do not need as much sleep as when you are younger. He should know he is 87.

Erin, thank you for calling Martha again. Your calls help.

[2boysandtoys]

Harold - hugs to ya both.  It's a pleasure to chat with Martha (and you too....)!  My hope is they get that darn machine fixed soon so she can continue.  Adding them on at the end would not be 'fun' to project!

My hope is you both get some rest this weekend and that Martha feels better!  Hugs to you both!!    

[Platzki]

Harold... althought I totally understand your point, don't add stress onto stress worrying that missing one treatment will be a problem.  Of course, they stress not to miss any because believe it or not, some people are so lackidasical about it, the nurses actually have to beg them not to miss.  Since they don't know that you're not like that, they stress the fact not to miss even one appt.

Hope I said that right...

Anyway, give M some huggies from me and try to have a good weekend!!! 

[chiquita]

Martha I found a poem and wanted to share it.
 

You never know how much you can take

You never know how much you can take
Until your life is on time constraint
For cancer has come, shortened your days
It's very destructive in so many ways
Will I lose my life, my hair, my pride
i really don't,  want to die
Is chemo truly as bad as they say
Will it help me live another day
So much to do, but too sick to try
Chemo does make you wish you would die
But then it ebbs and you feel okay
Sure you'll live another day
It's effects on family can't be explained
By this simple write of cancerous pain
But I tell them this, it's all I can do
I'll try anything to stay with you
Such support and love they give
And this is why I want to live
To see my children grow tall and strong
Is enough to keep me along
I've lived longer through sheer will
And by grace of God I'll be here still
I'm a fighter, I won't give up
To this disease which just won't stop
Trying to steal my dignity
But the hell with it, I'll just be me
Bald and sassy, with much to give
My children make me so want to live
18 months they said to me
But I've been here three years.
So I believe, that God he won't let me go
Into that great unknown
Though it may hurt, I don't care
For I really want to be there
My children are all I can see
And I won't let pain ever stop me
Positive , yes that's the way
For new treatments come everyday
I'll do what I need to live
For life I have so much to give

 

[Platzki]

Wow...

[2boysandtoys]

That's an awesome find!!!!  I'm so glad you shared it! 

Hugs Martha and Harold - I hope your Saturday is going well!!!! 

[Ladyrock]

I'm so sorry to hear about what your going through Martha and Harold.

Sending lots of prayers your way.

Martha hang in there you will get through this.

I finished the last of my chemo treatments in Dec. It was tough  to get through but I made it. The radiation treatments are almost done now. I only have 7 more treatments to do out of 28 I had scheduled.

I can't stress enough about drinking plenty of water during these treatments. They dehydrate your body something terrible. I always have a bottle of water by me at all times. Sometimes it doesn't taste good to me and gets rather boring but I stick with it. I hate diet drinks and regular sodas I had to stay away from because my sugar levels were climbing which you also do not want to happen.

As for the nausea I took Ondansetron which is generic for Zofran  and it worked great. One in the morning before I did anything and 1 at night. A little expensive to get but no where near as expensive as those 3 pills they had you get.
Mine came in 10 boxes and each box has 3 pills for I think it was $70.00 of course my insurance didn't cover these.
If they haven't mentioned these to you I would ask them if they would be alright for you.

Some weight lose is alright but you really don't want to loose a lot. I know it is hard to really eat anything as it all just tastes yucky.
I found during my chemo that I was able to eat oatmeal, cream of wheat and scrambled eggs. I also liked the chicken or vegetable broths. For some reason I had a real liking for cold hot dogs! For dinner I would have like broiled chicken, mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

About half way through the chemo treatments my hemoglobins dropped. I had to get a transfusion to bring them back up. To keep them from dropping again my doctor told me to eat red meat and the best way was to eat liver. I'm not much of a meat eater and there was no way I was going to eat liver. I hate liver!!
So I would have a piece of beef about the size of your palm every couple of nights and was able to keep the count up.

Now that I'm doing the radiation treatments my diet has changed again. I can no longer have foods with fiber. No salads, no fresh fruit with skins, no potatoes with skins, certain fresh vegetables, nothing with wheat in it and nothing fried. I almost forgot no spices.


So now I eat scrambled eggs or low sugar cereal with banana for breakfast. Lunch is soup or a sandwich on white bread. I miss my wheat bread! For dinner I have meat or poultry with potatoes and green beans.

I found the best things I really liked to eat and I don't have a problem with is cottage cheese with sliced peaches, also macaroni and cheese.

I also found that if I ate my meals broken up and stretched them throughout the day I was able to keep things down better. So instead of eating 3 times a day I would eat like 6 to 8 times.

[2boysandtoys]

It is my friend LadyRock....I'm so glad to see you and glad you're hear to share with Martha!! 

[The Pet Guy]

Thank you ladyrock... I read your post to Martha. It is good to share with someone who understands what she is dealing with. She may be strong enough tomorrow to post something herself. I sure hope so.

[flying high]

Martha I found a poem and wanted to share it.
 

You never know how much you can take

You never know how much you can take
Until your life is on time constraint
For cancer has come, shortened your days
It's very destructive in so many ways
Will I lose my life, my hair, my pride
i really don't,  want to die
Is chemo truly as bad as they say
Will it help me live another day
So much to do, but too sick to try
Chemo does make you wish you would die
But then it ebbs and you feel okay
Sure you'll live another day
It's effects on family can't be explained
By this simple write of cancerous pain
But I tell them this, it's all I can do
I'll try anything to stay with you
Such support and love they give
And this is why I want to live
To see my children grow tall and strong
Is enough to keep me along
I've lived longer through sheer will
And by grace of God I'll be here still
I'm a fighter, I won't give up
To this disease which just won't stop
Trying to steal my dignity
But the hell with it, I'll just be me
Bald and sassy, with much to give
My children make me so want to live
18 months they said to me
But I've been here three years.
So I believe, that God he won't let me go
Into that great unknown
Though it may hurt, I don't care
For I really want to be there
My children are all I can see
And I won't let pain ever stop me
Positive , yes that's the way
For new treatments come everyday
I'll do what I need to live
For life I have so much to give

 

Thank you for the poem it brightened up my day. 

[flying high]

Thank you for the information. I have 3 more weeks of chemo and 5 weeks of radiation.

I do have a hard time staying dehydrated. I cannot drink water it taste like metal. I do try to drank flavored water. I can drink diet Pepsi. My sugar levels are low so OK there.

Nausea is a problem the chemo I am on is the worse for nausea. I have 5 different meds to prevent nausea now. I get the 3 pills next week. I hope they still work. Chemo this week was real bad. I could not eat or drink. I was so sick for 2 days. I lost 4 pounds. I will get in trouble for that. I have lost 24 pounds total.

I cannot eat meat or stand the smell of it. My diet when I can eat goes like this baked potato with sour cream, apple pie, banana pudding,crackers and cream cheese. Once in a while a biscuit with jelly.I will have to get the cottage cheese and peaches did not think about that. (that does sound good)

I also have instant breakfast for the vitamins several times a day.

Thank you for the information it does help. It is a hard road for any one to go down. I am looking forward to the end of it.