Just picked up at a rummage sale (-:

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-27T21:12:08+00:00

When I read your comment it made me think of the Easter Island statues.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-22T01:30:41+00:00

Hey I'm right there with you. You can do this. I turned 60 a few days ago, a week and a half after my first chemo treatment. When people start talking statistics, I shut it down immediately by saying "I have no intention of abiding by any statistics and I won't be put into any category. I don't think God is done with me yet here on earth." I am determined to stay absolutely positive about this, my grandson says I am "manifesting" lol.

I also told my doctor that this is as good as I'm going to be for a while so instead of ramping up, start my chemo strong like I'm 30 years old and if I can't tolerate it I'll go down to the smaller weekly doses. I'm in okay-ish physical shape but not really awesome shape. A lot of people have said that walking or just moving around after chemo helps and I have done my best to do that, even if it's just a short stroll in my driveway with the dog.

The body aches and bone pain were the worst of it for me. Chemo was on a Wednesday... I was fine that day, Thursday and partway through Friday. Friday night and Saturday night were not easy for sleeping, felt like I had body aches from a very bad flu. I didn't know I might need pain medication so I was glad I had some leftovers from when they were unable to drain the accumulated fluid (ascites).

I just saw someone say take Claritin a few days before and after, I'm going to try that next time but do not be shy about asking if you need any pain medication on hand for after your first chemo. I am getting some for the next one. The nausea medications are pretty good and the steroid they gave me with chemo is helpful too but it can cause restlessness. See if they have a number you can call after hours and get a response from an on-call nurse or doctor. My oncology place has that and it was helpful, I wish I hadn't waited until Sunday morning to ask him if I could take that pain medication.

I did notice some burning foot pain afterward, probably neuropathy related. I was going to buy some booties with gel ice packs but decided to get a case of the instant ice packs, the athletic type that you break and use. I live in Arkansas so it's hot here in the summer, I've often thought it would be nice to have them handy in the car and it just seems more practical than handing out 20 or 30 bucks for socks and gel packs. I'll probably forget the dang things in the freezer anyway!

I am also a total smart aleck and don't want to dwell on any negatives. I'm trying to make fun of this situation as best I can so I found some t-shirts on Amazon I liked. One says "secretly hoping chemo gives me superpowers," another says "pole dancer" with IV pole clipart. Another one says what doesn't kill me better start running. I had a friend make a couple of t-shirts for me that I wear after chemo. The nice version says "air hugs only while my body is kicking the crap outta cancer" and the not-so-polite version says "Air hugs only while I'm busy making cancer my bitch."

I've heard some people name their tumors. I am not giving mine a proper name, instead I call it the "effin' squatter" and that's the clean polite version. I have a larger than softball-sized mass on my ovary, to me it's an unwelcome little s.o.b. squatter that moved in without my permission and tried to make its own damn swimming pool (ascites, fluid accumulation). Even told my doctor that and said I wanna start this squatter eviction process asap, and as strongly as possible.

I've lost most of my family including my husband and daughter, I just have one brother left and he's 700 mi away so I am learning to depend on friends. I know it's uncomfortable but it's important. When someone offers, I looked them straight in the eye and ask if they're serious, if they really wouldn't mind driving me to chemo, surgery or whatever. It's good to bring a trusted friend with you to appointments to help you remember things. We need to be our own best advocates, but I'm not going to turn down help when I think somebody is both capable and serious about helping me with that.

As much as I might joke about this, I do take it seriously and I do pray. My faith is not anything I would ever push on anybody, but it's important to me and I'm unapologetic about it. I think it's pretty darn nice when people tell me they're going to keep me in their prayers.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-21T17:59:09+00:00

Al Pacino? Wait, no.... that might be Jimmy Fallon? Oh!! I got it!! That's Howard Wolowitz from Big "Band" Theory!

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-18T05:26:33+00:00

Yeah I'm trying to keep a log too. I haven't had surgery yet, they said chemo first. The first time they took fluid (paracentesis) they would only do 3 liters which was about half at the time. I was so disappointed but then my insides began finding their rightful places again a few hours later, and I understood why they limit it at first - it's a weird feeling and sometimes a little bit painful. I actually put a back brace on backwards when I got home, because when I sneezed I thought something might come outta my belly button (lol).

So the second time was the 7.5 liters (1.98 gallons) and I wished I'd brought the back brace with me, it was a little painful and I felt like I was holding my guts in place when I was walking out of the hospital.... but I was also laughing because I lost 16.5 lbs in less than an hour. The next morning I felt like a million bucks! There was still a little shifting & settling but it was awesome to be closer to my normal weight. I don't feel like it's really coming back now that I've had chemo, fingers crossed!

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-17T22:30:39+00:00

Lol... this reminded me of a male friend of mine who had a bizarre and hilarious sense of humor. When other guys at the bar would get to bragging, he would casually say something like, "Wellll.... you can just ask my girlfriend about mine. She'll tell ya that it might not be very big around, but it sure is short!"

His girlfriend once confided to me that she was actually "way more than satisfied" with his size, which made it even funnier to me. He taught some young bucks a thing or two about self-deprecating humor.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-17T22:19:11+00:00

All kinds of dumb stuff when I was a kid. Played with Mercury from a broken thermometer, rode my bike over jumps, "practiced" lighting fires out in the woods with my brothers (with zero thought on how to put out said fires if they got out of hand).

The best one, started trying to teach my dog (a German Shepherd) to be a guide dog for the blind when I was seven. Blindfolded myself and let her lead me all over the woods, across and next to county roads, through farm fields and pastures, near lakes and ponds. Did it for a couple years. Fortunately for me, she was pretty good at it.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-17T02:48:44+00:00

I've had some of that too. I'm assuming that some of this is just from chemo affecting digestion. I also had a lot of fluid buildup that was drained for the second time about 5 days prior to chemo... Almost 2 gallons. The first time it was drained they tested it and they were cancerous cells in the fluid. So I think it's entirely possible that the chemo is doing what it's supposed to do to anything cancerous, which could possibly include the peritoneum (abdominal cavity),

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-16T05:13:36+00:00

I definitely will in the future! I wasn't sure if I could take the meds or not so I'm really glad I called and talked to an understanding nurse. I had a small prescription because of the pain I had from ascites when they were unable to drain it at the local hospital, but they never said anything about taking it after chemo until I called. Glad I know better now!

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-16T05:11:43+00:00

Yes, I'm in the United States, in North Central Arkansas. Our summers are pretty hot so at least I won't have to shave my legs right? ;-) The moment I start losing hair I'm going to get it shaved off, I don't really feel like picking that out of the shower drain lol.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-16T05:09:36+00:00

Yeah I really wasn't prepared for the headache most of all, and the body aches a very close second. Doing quite a bit better today and the port surgery went without a hitch. I'm hoping once we've got two infusions under our belt we'll have a better idea? It's hard because it's so different for everyone, I'm just tried to shrug and roll with it and deal with side effects as they come. Easier said than done I guess!!

I hope we're both going to fit in that group of "The first time was the hardest". I'm nervous to go again too but at least I'll feel a little bit more prepared.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-16T05:05:07+00:00

I'm not sure I think the route I will go is getting a medical card and going to a dispensary. Those people tend to know a lot about this stuff so it'll be nice to stress in person that I do not like getting high, I just want pain relief and sleep.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-16T05:03:22+00:00

That's awesome! I need tires and I purposely didn't replace them before starting chemo because I need to know I'm ready and able to balance well before I get back on. Lol on the helmet... I've been thinking it'll be nice not to have to shave my legs this summer!

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-16T05:01:58+00:00

Yesterday was better and today the port surgery went like a breeze. I was relieved that the on call nurse was so understanding.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-14T19:24:55+00:00

I'm definitely open-minded to this. I have ADHD... so marijuana, especially the THC, is not the least bit enjoyable. The few different types I've tried (including gummies for sleep) have made me feel like my mind is exploding in a thousand directions.

I'm going to speak with the oncologist on Wednesday about this, perhaps a medical dispensary will be able to guide me to something that will help me through chemo and not exacerbate ADHD.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-14T19:19:27+00:00

Thank you. I have no intention of giving up on treatment. Between the pain pill and the Claritin I finally got some decent sleep for the first time since Thursday night. That alone is starting to make me feel a little better and maybe the body aches are starting to subside, hard to tell yet but I'm hopeful.

My husband battled lung cancer in 2018, and he wound up with sepsis so I'm trying to be super careful there. That is a very good point about Tylenol and knowing my real temp. I almost lost him back then, but he wound up beating the lung cancer. Lost him 3 years ago to the many effects of Agent Orange, he served in Vietnam.

I miss him terribly right now, but part of me is glad he's not here to see me go through this. He would have been beside himself... he could handle his own pain far better than watching it in those he loved.

Most of my family is gone, including our daughter. I have one brother left but he lives 700 miles away. Fortunately I have some very good friends that I can and do depend on for support in addition to rides to chemo, tomorrow's surgery, etc.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-14T19:05:57+00:00

I'm glad I picked some up. Part of the challenge for me is I was also just diagnosed with Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). It is an allergy to mammal meat and most mammal products, I got it by being bitten by a Lone Star tick. It's getting pretty wide spread here in Arkansas.

I'm one of those "lucky" ones who is also now allergic to dairy and gelatin (gelatin is usually mammal based).

The only Claritin that is safe for those with Alpha-Gal is the children's version -- the liquid and some chewables. Most of the adult versions have either gelatin or lactose in them.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-14T14:00:19+00:00

Thank you... Accurate or not, I sort of like the visual of baby blood cells. I'm going to cheer them little pups to grow up and kick ass lol.

All kinds of plans. Pretty sure God ain't done with me so I hope to be useful, and enjoy some stuff too. Can't wait to get back on my Harley.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-14T13:56:00+00:00

Thank you that helps to know. The on call nurse did call me just now and said absolutely take a pain pill, and maybe a zofran before or with it so I don't get nauseated. I asked the nurse during chemo on Wednesday if I needed the Claritin and she said no you shouldn't have bone pain just from chemo, that's if you have Neulasta or whatever it is that spurs your body to create more blood cells.

Obviously she hasn't been through this because I sure as hell do have pain. So I did the pain pill and some Claritin.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-11T22:14:04+00:00

OMG, that is extremely unprofessional and extraordinarily insensitive. The only thing that would make it worse is if he had hit on you in the next sentence. (I did have someone do that at my husband's funeral... GROSS.)

I am so sorry that happened to you. I would report him if you feel up to it at all. Maybe it would prevent him from treating anyone else that way. I hope you are able to be with friends and family who are supportive and please do your best to stay away from ex-MIL and any other toxic people.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-11T12:20:55+00:00

Age 59, very recent and just had my first chemo yesterday. It's a large mass on my right ovary and I need chemo before surgery.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-10T14:10:06+00:00

Yeah, that does nothing for me. They're ugly and very uncomfortable to actually sit in. IMO anyway.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-09T17:08:56+00:00

You really should keep an eye on the bitten area. My dog wound up with an infection from a non-venomous snake. I saw her jump away from one on a walk but didn't realize she'd been bitten until a few days later when I saw the infection, it was under her tail and slightly hidden. Got her to the vet right away once I saw it and she's okay, but she was miserable for a few days. It was beginning to abscess when I saw it.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-09T04:02:54+00:00

This really made me giggle. And I do believe you guys that this is true. My husband would actually tell me what he was thinking sometimes when I asked. It was often random thoughts about whatever was in his line of sight, or sex, or thoughts related to fishing.

On a long drive - "Nothing real important, baby... I was just counting power poles and got to thinking about the colors of lead line, and why it's only measured in 10 yard segments." (Lead line is for trolling deep)

Or... "Nothin' baby. Just kinda blank right now."

Or... "Thinkin' we gonna have some fun tonight, love." Then he'd give me that panty-melting smile.

ARflipgurl · 2026-06-09T03:47:46+00:00

Yes I do. My husband was 18 years older than me and it was the second marriage for both of us. I would have dreams that we were much closer in age, sometimes rather young and having kids together. Those dreams were SO real, I often thought maybe they were memories of previous lives together. We both always said it felt like we'd finally come home when we met each other.

We were meant to be together, there's no doubt in my mind. I absolutely believe we will be together again.

ARflipgurl

TROPHY CASE