quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by little miss:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

i was lucky enough to miss the neuropathy but the nausea/fatigue was a pain. part of the problem, though was that being self-employed, i had to keep working to earn a living- so i had my treatments on Thurs and showed up for work Fri, not exactly at my best. hats off to Joyce for a ++++ attitude- it really goes a long way...

My hat is off to you for working while you were undergoing chemo. I don't know how you did it. My nausea and fatigue are worse on days 3 and 4. It is good to hear from "survivors" like yourself. Makes this journey easier to bear and gives me even more optimism!

Joyce, i did it because i had no choice. no sick leave, no disability, and bills to be paid-LOL. like you, the nausea/fatigue hit me worse on day 3-4(Sunday-Monday). by the following Sat. i was getting the Procrit/Neupogen shots for profound anemia/leukopenia. my biggest fear was working in a hospital with a lot of really sick, septic people and no immune system to fight off infection . but God looked after me and years later- all is good. and i am SURE, you will be OK AND COME OUT THE OTHER END A STRONGER PERSON!

Valid fear!! I didn't like the idea of Joyce going into the hospital two days a week for "PT". I told her at the beginning of this the best bet would be to hole up like a "survivalist" for a few months. Probably too paranoid a thought but rather be safe than infected.

You have my prayers. I was diagnosed with colon cancer two weeks ago. My chemo began today and I will have surgery in April. I am 45 and self employed. I also hope to work

quote:

Originally posted by Trapper Tom:
You have my prayers. I was diagnosed with colon cancer two weeks ago. My chemo began today and I will have surgery in April. I am 45 and self employed. I also hope to work

Best of luck with it. Remember, everyone is an individual including you. Don't pay attention to the stories you will hear from friends, relatives, and others about what happened with their hairdresser's aunt who had.... Your diagnosis is a game changer regardless of course of treatment and outcome.

This will be hard on you, and those around you. It may change your interaction with some because some folks "don't know what to say".

Just stay focused on the goal. Stay as positive as possible, and do what's really, really hard, try to think of it as an adventure. As stupid as this sounds you will now have the luxury to realize some things you thought were important before aren't nearly as important now and some simple pleasures mean the world to you.

I'll PM you some contact info if you want to chat. It can help.

Thoughts and Prayers
Jim

Thanks for the kind words. Talking about it can help. God has a plan for me even if I don't always understand it

i can only echo Jim's sentiments- damn sound advice and likewise if i can be of any help, don't hesitate to ask.

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
It may change your interaction with some because some folks "don't know what to say".

Well said and an important point for all of us. I has a friend whose wife was diagnosed with cancer. On of the hardest things for him to deal with was the fact that all of their friends abandoned them. He finally confronted them and their reply was: "we just didn't know what to say...."

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
It may change your interaction with some because some folks "don't know what to say".

Well said and an important point for all of us. I has a friend whose wife was diagnosed with cancer. On of the hardest things for him to deal with was the fact that all of their friends abandoned them. He finally confronted them and their reply was: "we just didn't know what to say ...."

The safest and most proper thing to say…"We love you, is there any way we can help" Then move forward as you normally would.

Joyce and I discussed this before "going public". We used Facebook, email, and obviously an internet forum we frequent to get the word out but more importantly to let people know cancer in the household hasn't changed us. You can't let it be the 500 pound Gorilla in the room or believe me…it will be.

I've had the professional displeasure of telling patients they have cancer and I always did my best to warn them it was a game changer. I told them that some friends might disappear and family might over react. But you have the chance to find out who your real friends are and how strong your family can be.

Joyce and I have always been perceived as a bit "odd". Our friends come from many walks of life and broad geography and we chose early on to treat this as an adventure and include those friends and family in the ride. Most have done really well with it. A few haven't.

I wish you the very best, God Bless.

quote:

Joyce and I have always been perceived as a bit "odd".

In Bolivia that would be "colorful" (Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid)

quote:

Originally posted by bwana cecil:

quote:

Joyce and I have always been perceived as a bit "odd".

In Bolivia that would be "colorful" (Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid)

I would certainly describe Joyce's Clam Shell Brace as colorful.

Round four update: Joyce had her fourth round of R-CHOP Chemo (minus the Vincristin) on Tuesday. JDollar having been through this has been correct in that each round has been having a cumulative toll as far as increased fatigue and nausea. It's starting sooner after the infusion date, has definitely increased, and seems to have lasted longer after round three.

All that said, she's still being tough as nails.

She's been approved to be out of her brace for three one hour periods a day. It took her a few days to work up to the full one hour but now has no issue at all. Her back surgery has been a remarkable success so far.

As you know from the "Good Guy" thread, we have put the His & Her Leopards back on the calendar for 2015 to follow the Zim Ele hunt. As Joyce says, "It's great to have something like this to look forward to".

All in all she's 2/3's through this and has plenty of fight left. Aaron Neilson put a great comment on her Facebook page, "Keep your foot on its throat, don't let up, don't ever let it up!!!"

That's exactly what she is doing!!

Whatta Gal!
She's Waaaaay tougher than I am.
I'd want my mama & a teddy bear.

Keep fighting!!!! :
- I have also had the same big C i 2011 and after 12 Kemoes I was finis in 2012 and now fit again for job and hunting .
It is a tough way to go but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Again keep fighting.
Hunt safe
wisent

Praying for you both. I finish round 2 today

Keep fighting!!! To you to buddy .

hunt safe
wisent

Definitely prayers!

quote:

Originally posted by Trapper Tom:
Praying for you both. I finish round 2 today

Hang tough Tom!! Prayers are with you.

she is over the hump( 2/3 through), so that gave me a mental lift and i am betting her as well. that damn vincristin is a bitch so dropping it is a blessing and should not materially affect the outcome. remission is pretty much a sure thing now. you go gettum, girl!

Good luck to all of you that have to go through chemo. Remember that the cure rate is very high for Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Frostbite,

Is Joyce on a a drug in pill form where she takes a high dose right after each chemo session and then the amount tapers off for a few days? I can't remember the name of it but I did get nausea from it but some Prilosec took the nausea away.

465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:
Good luck to all of you that have to go through chemo. Remember that the cure rate is very high for Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Frostbite,

Is Joyce on a a drug in pill form where she takes a high dose right after each chemo session and then the amount tapers off for a few days? I can't remember the name of it but I did get nausea from it but some Prilosec took the nausea away.

465H&H

You are probably talking about Prednisone. Yes she gets it for four days after the R-CHOP which also has a steroid as part of the regimen.

It's a bit strange sounding but one thing that really bugged her from the beginning was all the pill vials she now has at home. Two anti-nausea meds, the prednisone, pain relievers, a ridiculously expensive med called Barraclude because she had Hepatitis B way back in the day before immunizations from a Nursing mishap. Valtrex to help prevent Herpes Zoster.

It's tough for a fit woman who only took vitamins to look at those pill vials.

That is the one that I was talking about. As I said Prilosec took away the nausea for me. Looks like she is doing fine! Good luck to you both.

Walt

quote:

Originally posted by leopards valley safaris:
Holding thumbs for you. My family too has taken some big hits from this indiscriminate disease. I second the motion to DELETE it .

Hopefully we meet at the Alaskan SCI in Feb.with good news.
Thinking of you guys

Dave,

It was nice meeting you and Nikki at the SCI banquet Saturday. Round five is tomorrow morning and Joyce is psyched. She has all her strength back now after round four drained her a bit. As she puts it, "After this one it's only one to go and done!!"

Her last round is March 18th and judging from how quickly she recovered from round four we are both planning on making it to Brett & Jena's wedding two weeks later in the Florida Keys.

Cheers
Jim

Jim and Joyce

Just looked in on this, been there and done that and don't usually bother thinking about it much anymore hence I'm slow responding.

Had the same a high grade lymphoma in the lower abdomen about a 6"x2" sausage by the time it manifested itself as a growing pain and self diagnosed it, when I finally got to the doctor, as a kidney problem. Sure was with one kidneys tubes hooked up over the lump and the kidney pushed up under the ribs. Once biopsy was taken the pain went instantly, kidney must have flopped back into place.

8 rounds of the appropriately named CHOP chemo 3 weeks apart, and then 6 weeks of radiotherapy 5 days a week once they kidney scanned to see if I had two good ones as one was likely to get killed off by the high strength Xrays at close quarters. Don't know whether it ever did, don't really care now, worst of two evils I guess.

That's well over ten years ago now and Doc said after 5 years and all looking good, that for all intents and purposes I was cured.

I tolerate pain and discomfort and the old mouth, nose lining and nether region orifices all take a hammering plus sense of smell is really heightened but for me the nausea was the worst as I hate this generally anyway. Still carried on working after a couple of days off each zap with the chemo, radiology no problem.

My wife and I and young kids at home at the time just treated it like the measles to get over. No special deals just get on with life and dad looks funny with no hair or whiskers. None of them had never seen me without a beard and mo. Little grandson on visit after second treatment thought it was hilarious seeing granddad bald all over.

So Jim and Joyce the big old C can be beat, bloody horrible when doing it but it sure is worth the battle.
My heartfelt best wishes to you both, hang in there and you will come out smiling.

Wishing you and Joyce the best!

It was so great meeting you guys Jim.

All the best for this last hurdle and don't stop the positivity !!

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Round five is tomorrow morning and Joyce is psyched. She has all her strength back now after round four drained her a bit. As she puts it, "After this one it's only one to go and done!!"

Her last round is March 18th and judging from how quickly she recovered from round four we are both planning on making it to Brett & Jena's wedding two weeks later in the Florida Keys.

Cheers
Jim

Kick cancer's A__, Joyce!!!!! Cheering for you!

Hugs, Darin

Please tell Joyce that I am looking forward to giving her a big hug on my next trip to Alaska.

465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:
Please tell Joyce that I am looking forward to giving her a big hug on my next trip to Alaska.

465H&H

Sounds like a plan.

Five rounds down, one to go!!

BAM!!

Jim, you've got one hot mama there.
I pray she is with you for forever & a day.

quote:

Originally posted by bwana cecil:
Jim, you've got one hot mama there.
I pray she is with you for forever & a day.

Thanks my friend. I do also. Can't imagine, nor do I want to try and imagine, life without her. She's my absolute favorite person on Earth and a hell of a hoot to be around.

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by bwana cecil:
Jim, you've got one hot mama there.
I pray she is with you for forever & a day.

Thanks my friend. I do also. Can't imagine, nor do I want to try and imagine, life without her. She's my absolute favorite person on Earth and a hell of a hoot to be around.

+1

Brett

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by bwana cecil:
Jim, you've got one hot mama there.
I pray she is with you for forever & a day.

Thanks my friend. I do also. Can't imagine, nor do I want to try and imagine, life without her. She's my absolute favorite person on Earth and a hell of a hoot to be around.

+2 she is an awesome gal Jim

Definition of a good day!!

Joyce is now 4 days post infusion and this is usually the peak of her nausea/fatigue cycle. She's tougher than Woodpecker Lips and never complains.

At the pre-infusion meeting with the Oncologist he asked her how the last round went and she admitted the nausea was a little worse, "but completely manageable. I just take the Zofran and Phenergan alternating every 3-4 hours and the waves of nausea are tolerable" He looked and said, "Why didn't you tell me". She just shrugged.

He offered to write for Marinol, a Cannabis derivative approved for Chemo nausea. He said some people like it, some hate it. Joyce said fine I'll try it. It's a once a day deal and she has only had two short nausea bouts in 4 days both quickly abated with Phenergan. Amazing positive reaction to the Marinol.

So I wake up this morning make a fire in the wood stove, brew my coffee, and wait for Bait Babe to get up. Turn on the computer, look at Joyce's Facebook page to see how many of the daily well wishes came rolling in for her to read and there is an announcement from our own Aaron Neilson.

Joyce entered a contest sponsored by Global Hunting Resources for a Pronghorn Hunt in Eastern Colorado. The requirement was a 50 word expression of why hunting equals conservation. Go ahead and try and express that in only 50 words. Not easy. Anyway, Joyce will be hunting Proghorn in October alongside Megan Johnson with Aaron guiding 2:1.

Aaron gave us a call and did remind us that in Colorado, unlike Alaska, you do have to wear Blaze Orange.

Joyce has that "covered" so to speak and I bet Aaron is beginning to regret who won.

I will be hunting there on Aaron's place opening weekend in Oct.
Maybe we will be there at the same time.

quote:

Originally posted by bwana cecil:
I will be hunting there on Aaron's place opening weekend in Oct.
Maybe we will be there at the same time.

That would be great. I believe Joyce's hunt will be October 8-9. When the time gets closer lets see if we can figure a way to cross paths.

quote:

That would be great. I believe Joyce's hunt will be October 8-9. When the time gets closer lets see if we can figure a way to cross paths.

you bet.
I might talk to my hunting buddy about changing dates.

As I stated in my PM's, Joyce is one "Shiny" lady, and a real trooper.

I wish both of you all the best.

The wife and I would share hunting camp with the two of you anytime...

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
As I stated in my PM's, Joyce is one "Shiny" lady, and a real trooper.

I wish both of you all the best.

The wife and I would share hunting camp with the two of you anytime...

Thank you Sir, from both of us.

That's awesome Jim!! There isn't a more deserving recipient. Great initiative Aaron
Cheers
Dave